Cobwebs
by snowblinded
Summary: HIATUS. DETAILS ON PROFILE. 'Sometimes they say everyone has 'skeletons in their closets.' I rather think of it as cobwebs: Sometimes we brush them off like nothing, other times, we let them build out of control until you're tangled like the bug you are.' AU, abuse, drugs, etc.
1. Saltwater

**EDIT**: I decided to add more information about this fanfiction instead of letting you have to read and get an idea yourself because things will start to change sooner or later.

Title: Cobwebs

Author: snowblinded

Pairing: Neji/Gaara (I don't do dominate/submissive pairing listing, so read and see who's topping.)

Rating: T (Abuse, alcohol/drugs, self-harm, eating disorders, etc.)

Lengthy summary: Neji finds himself being relocated from the city to the small town of Sunaville, bringing along what's left of his deteriorating family. School becomes his outlet from the abuse and where he meets a peculiar redhead, Gaara. Through strange forest adventures and late night phone calls, maybe they can find stability in one another and try to break through the cobwebs they're cocooned in.

Okay, READ ON!

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><p><span>Saltwater<span>

The ceiling spiraled above the redhead, or at least it felt like it was spiraling. He could stare at his ceiling for ages, getting lost in the vintage glitter and cheap gem stones the former owners glued to it. It was in poor taste, but it was the seventies, everything was in poor taste. Over time, the redhead started to tape his own pieces of art to the ceiling: glow in the dark stars and planets, stickers of fire from Hot Wheel toys, even acid-induced art pieces he would draw. His ceiling was a piece of art, or at least he thought it was.

The redhead's favorite thing to do was pretend the ceiling was an actual sky. He would lay on his bed with the lights off except for a few candles, letting their dim light illuminate the glitter. Sometimes he made up constellations among gem stones, pretending Orion rested between a heart-shaped stone and the planet Jupiter. It warmed the redhead's heart somehow to come up with his own little world in his room. It was the only time where he could be at peace with his life. He picked what could exist, what could cease, and he would erase everything he created and re-imagine a new sky. It was so easy, yet it let time escape him even faster.

The everyday task of school grew mundane with every passing afternoon. He looked forward to his escape of realism, retreating into a DIY-ed creation from a disillusioned boy. His normal life wasn't bad, it was actually quite pleasant, but it was never enough. He would look up into the normal blue sky and wish for a strand of lace in a cloud or an ill-drawn, smeared sketch of a dead cat. Something out of the ordinary. His wishes would never come true though. The redhead would collapse onto his velvet sheets, straining his eyes to make out the tiny Lisa Frank stickers his sister snuck on the ceiling. It most likely wasn't healthy to do such an activity every day, but what else would he do? Everything else was dull in comparison to his life-work.

Every night, his eyes would struggle to see the green haze of his stars as they slipped shut. He never consented to rest, his body would take over his neglected functions. He drowned in his empty slumber, vaguely remembering the configuration of his ceiling. No matter what DMT-induced action he created, it never compared to his room. The redhead gave up and allowed himself to be carried away into his realm full of blue spots and yellow stripes. Not a single gem stone.

xoxo

A faint piano chord pulled Gaara to consciousness. His long eyelashes fluttered while his mind memorized the song playing, '_Childhood_' by Beach House. His latest musical journey included losing himself to lo-fi indie pop that bordered on contemporary and shoegaze. He liked being gently prodded awake by soft, alluring music that coddled romantic images compared to the heavy rock he used to listen to. While avant-garde metal was provoking, it was much too intense to catapult the dreamy redhead into the real world.

He blinked a few times, gaining more of his eyesight. He stretched his body, feeling the ripples of tense muscles relax from his hands to his chest, down to his legs and feet. Gaara sat up and turned his head towards his window. His thick, red curtains shielded the sun from entering his domain. It was much appreciated by the redhead. He preferred dim sunrises to a bright sun that already popped out. He curled his toes, then pulled his foot back, making sure to stretch his Achilles' before standing up.

Gaara almost tip-toed to his window as if he was trying to sneak up on the sun behind the curtain. His fingers grazed over the slit of the velvet curtains, preparing to allow the sun rays to penetrate his room. He quickly tore the one curtain back and shielded his eyes with his free hand. After adjusting his eyes, he looked around his room. All his jewel-toned items looked brighter, happier, not as mysterious as he felt they were. While the image of his illuminated room brought a small smile to his face, it also hurt him a bit. He liked having intrigue in his room. The sun pulled it away, exposing the dark nooks and crannies in his room that he liked people discovering instead of seeing at first glance. He sighed to himself, remembering that no matter how perfect he wanted his room to be, perfection was a goal only accomplished by the insane.

_Perhaps insanity was a good course to follow_, he thought. Insanity always brought new ideas and concepts to a relatively boring world. As interesting as it sounded, Gaara couldn't bring himself to do such a thing. For one, most insane people slowly bring themselves to it by means of drugs, life-scarring incidents, or mental illnesses that developed on their own like dementia. He was healthy down to his bones (no matter how small they were). Insanity was out of the picture.

Gaara looked at his digital clock, remembering he had not shut off his alarm. '_Childhood_' had repeated during his reverie. The clock blinked 7:06, showing that the redhead should prepared for school. The bus came by at 7:30 sharp, so he had to get ready quick. He pressed the 'shut off' button, but reached for the iPod attached, putting on '_You Came To Me_.'

He tore off his pants and t-shirt, tossing it in the hamper by his bed. They landed with a soft 'plop' as he made his way to his closet. He slid the mahogany door to the side, revealing the array of dark-colored clothes he owned. Thrift stores and flea markets were one of his favorite places to raid for clothes and other miscellaneous items to add to the growing artwork he called a bedroom. His sister often referred to him as a girl from the way he walked home with bags of things, but it wasn't done as a simple hobby. No, it was the only goal, the only focus Gaara held onto the real world for. Transforming his small space into a visual interpretation of his mind.

The redhead pulled a dark red t-shirt from one of his shelves and tugged it one while the other hand reached in for a black cobweb sweater he somehow managed to make when he went through a knitting phase. He pulled on the cobweb sweater, poking his thumbs out from a hole. Gaara reached once more in for a pair of black jeans. He struggled to pull them up, but once he got them passed his hips, they zipped up well.

He walked over to his amethyst-painted bureau, admiring the wood-cravings someone made into it previously. '_Sally loves James_,' '_batternut squish_,' '_Number 1_!' Gaara liked to imagine the little girl who probably craved them in with a safety pin or a pair of scissors. He shook his head, trying not to distract himself, at least, not until he was out of the house. He reached into one of his pencil holders and pulled out a stick of kohl. Leaning towards the mirror, he swiped a ring of black around his lid, rounding the corner. He traced the other eye before putting the stick away.

He grabbed his backpack from the back of his chair, exiting his wonderland in disappointment. No matter how much his heart ached, he knew he'd be back to it as soon as the last bell rang.

xoxo

Gaara played with the sleeve of his sweater, poking his digits from each holes. It reminded him of 'Wack-A-Mole.' The one reason he enjoyed over-sized sleeves was the ability to hide his hands without tucking them into his jean pockets. No matter how casual it seemed to be on others, Gaara thought it made him look nervous, so he avoided it unless necessary. He noted his chipped black nail polish, flicking off a broken piece.

Others must of thought he was strange, the scrawny redhead staring at his hands the entire bus ride as if they were a miniature movie. They may as well have been. Nothing else intrigued his attention to devote his time to it. Rowdy teenagers? Seen it. Couples kissing? Seen it. A fight? Perhaps for the goal of seeing a bit of blood, but nothing that he couldn't see in a movie. It was unnecessary to direct his focus on anything else.

For a moment, the bus grew quiet. Gaara looked away from his pale hands and out the window. They stopped at a house they never stopped at before. _New kid_, he thought. That was all the school needed, another kid who appears interesting, but would melt away before Gaara's eyes as they were pulled away by the normal children. The redhead tugged his lips into straight line and looked down at his hands, awaiting the return of the white noise. A weight shifted beside him on the seat. It surprised Gaara for a second that someone claimed a seat near him. People avoided him as much as he avoided them. He made no efforts to see the person next to him though, continuing his gaze upon his small hands.

After a few minutes, the bus pulled up by the school. Gaara heard his peers speak a bit louder, groaning about tests and homework due this morning. He tried his best to tune it out, pretend that it was just static noise. _How could they make the same complaints every morning_, he thought. _Homework is due everyday and there's always a test to be concerned with. Is it worth the repetitive comments_?

Gaara bit his lip, gripping the backpack on his lap. He watched the kids trickle out from the bus out his window. He chose to wait for everyone to leave before exiting himself. Less pushing and a quieter leave. The weight on his seat shifted once more. The warmth the person exuded dissipated, along with Gaara's interest of watching the kids. He pulled on his backpack and knelt on the bus seat, eyes focused on the feet in the aisles. Pair by pair, they left until there was an opening for Gaara. He stepped in, following the line of people in front of him.

_Just six hours and you're free_.

xoxo

"Class, we have a new student. He moved from..." Gaara ignored his teacher's droning voice, focusing on the eraser shavings he made. Small, dirty pink rubber slivers sprinkled his English assignment. He almost giggled to himself, pretending the pencil had dandruff. He swiped the eraser over his name on the top, leaving a trail of pink speckles and a gray smear where the name existed. The pencil desperately needed Head And Shoulders. He almost giggled again, realizing to use that shampoo, it'd require having a head and shoulders. As the laughter inside died down, he felt himself blush.

_Maybe insanity wasn't as far off as it seemed_, he thought. If he found amusement in pencil jokes, he either was wacky in the head or had a future selling office supplies.

Gaara picked up a shaving with his pointer finger and thumb, rolling the substance between his finger pads. He gave it a quick flick, landing in the hair of the girl in front of him. He dropped his eyes onto the rest of the shavings and blew onto them. They fluttered around, some escaping the paper, others still sticking to the sheet. He gave them a quick brush of his hand and sat back in his seat. His fingers fidgeted through the holes, rolling the yarn, trying to find something else to occupy himself.

He decided to give another chance to the teacher. He had moved on with last night's assignment to which Gaara remembered he erased part of the answers. He picked up his pencil, scribbling his name back on and a few words to half erased answers. Once completed, a stack of papers prodded his elbow. He turned to see a brunette girl holding everyone's assignment from their row. Gaara took the papers, adding his to the top, before turning to his right to pass them on. He didn't look at the person beside him, focusing on the hand which took the papers. Gaara blinked, not recognizing the hand as the usual veiny one of the male beside him. The hand disappeared from his sight. Gaara shifted back forward with a curious feeling of the owner of the hand. He felt the urge to view the person, but didn't act on it.

The next fourty-five minutes felt like two days to Gaara. He couldn't find anything else to distract himself, so he paid attention to class for once. He regretted it from the moment he heard the first three sentences from the teacher's mouth. Since he got sucked into the lecture, he had no choice but to listen. The urge to look next to him had died down upon hearing about the new book they would be reading. It was _Lolita_ by Vladmir Nabokov, which surprised Gaara. Most school curriculums probably wouldn't allow their English department to teach about an older-man falling for a prepubescent teenager. No matter how surprising, it was an appreciated sentiment to Gaara's literary taste. He had enjoyed the book (and felt the need to wear heart-shaped sunglasses during the act) and bought his own copy afterward.

The bell rang, punching Gaara out of his thoughts once more. He frowned and wished for softer bells or maybe a cool saxophone. Then again, it'd take even longer for kids who slept in school to wake up. He organized his papers, stuffing them into his folder, and stacked the folders and notebooks together neatly on his desk. He listened to his peers footsteps leaving. Just like with the bus, he preferred to leave last. When he only heard five or so footsteps, he gathered his paperwork in his hands and stood up. Gaara lifted his eyes up and met someone else's.

Eyes so pale, so white like milk stared back at him, clouded in interest. Gaara felt his own eyes widen, taken aback by such a sight. He had never seen eyes like that before. He wanted to reach out and touch them to make sure they were real and not a figment of a daydream. You couldn't go and touch stranger's eyeballs though, besides the pain that would cause. Gaara tore his sight away from them, catching a glance of brown hair by the person's bicep. The redhead ducked away from the person and made his way to the classroom door. It took every ounce of restraint in his body to not look back.

xoxo

Gaara slipped away from the administration during lunch to eat out by the forest. The forest was a secluded area by the outdoor seating, a good thirty feet back. Twisted trees with gray bark loomed together with a small path going through the mass. If you took the trail for ten seconds, it'd lead you to a clearing. The clearing held four rundown picnic tables. Years ago, the school had a nature club and they would host the meetings in the area. Attached to the forest was a hiking trail that they frequented. The further you walked, the more mangled the limbs would be and the darker the sky seemed to grow. No matter how far people walked, they could never find the end. It was rumored that you'd end up in the forest next to the highway, but there were never any pictures to prove it.

Students were allowed to eat in the area (provided there's an adult present) during lunch, but after a rape scare in 87', the privilege of eating there was revoked. If you were caught in the forest, it called for immediate detention or suspension. Gaara would risk it though. He strove for isolation and the forest was exactly that.

One would think that administration would have caught onto a noticeable redhead walking past the outdoor eating grounds, yet they never stopped him. Gaara liked to think of himself as a ghost: free to roam where he pleased as long as he didn't make a ruckus. He could walk right pass a teacher who's known him for years and wouldn't bat an eyelash as he stepped across the lawn. It was like he was never really there. In a way, he wasn't. He avoided picture day like the plague and would hide when Yearbook Club donned their cameras. There was no proof of him existing in school other than old elementary photos. Gaara loved the feeling of absolute invisibility.

He took a bite into his eclair, eyes wondering over one tree with numerous cravings. '_Eddie G + Ramona_,' '_Travis hearts Carol_,' '_Cheryl is the bee's knees_.' Gaara chuckled, imaging a girl with a knife craving into the tree when it was younger. _She must have been one rebel_, he sarcastically thought. He walked to the next tree, inspecting it for any other writing. The bark was bare of inscribing, only marred by old age. He continued his search for historical writings, but only found four other trees that circled the clearing with them.

Gaara sighed, claiming a place on his picnic table with the rest of his lunch. He saw ants infiltrating his ham sandwich, making tiny circles in the bread. In consolation, he wasn't going to finish lunch anyway, he preferred eating the sweets. He picked up the tray and placed it beneath the table, obscuring his view of the feast. He climbed a top the table and laid down, looking at the sky.

To a normal person's eye, they'd consider the weather perfect. A blue sky, a few white puffy clouds, the sun tucked safely behind a fat one, the breeze just so to swish Gaara's bangs. Gaara denied this as good weather. He adored poor weather conditions. They provided more excitement compared to a simple day as such. He loved watching the lightning from the guest room windowsill seat, wrapped in an afghan. The closer the lightning struck, the more intrigued he grew. If a fire sparked, it was the best night ever.

The redhead shut his eyes, projecting his ceiling onto his eyelids. It was a better use of his lunch time than cloud-watching.

xoxo

Something touched Gaara's back. He had no idea what or who did it, but he wasn't interested in what either had to do with him. All Gaara wanted to do was go home to his hideout. He didn't need any unnecessary distractions before his stop. There was another touch, only harder than the first. The redhead sighed and turned towards the poke's direction.

A blond boy from his grade smiled at him, asking about the boy who sat beside Gaara on the bus in the morning and during English class. The redhead informed the blond boy that he had no idea what he was speaking about, turning back around. A muffled 'asshole' was heard, but ignored. _Sanctuary_, he thought. _Leave all this behind and hide in haven_.

The bus screeched to a stop, signaling Gaara's departure. He pulled his backpack on his shoulders and walked down the aisle. His eyes stared down at the floor until he reached the front. The bus driver bid him a goodbye. He nodded in response. He took the three steps quick, landed on the sidewalk and headed to the driveway of his house. He didn't need to see the bus to know it was leaving, he heard it's loud departing noises. Gaara adjusted his backpack, taking a slow stride up the cobblestone driveway. He started to count how many stones he stepped on on the way to his house.

_One, two, three, four, twenty-five, twenty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight_. He stopped when he reached the base of the front stairs. He walked up them and opened the door, greeted by his older sister. A smile spread across her face, gripping the broom in her hands.

"Hey Gaara," she said, sweeping by the entrance.

He nodded at her, slipping off his shoes. _Sanctuary_.

"School was good?"

He nodded at her, taking off his backpack. _Fortress_.

"That's good. Kankuro said there was a new kid."

He nodded at her, peeling off his jacket. _Citadel_.

"Did you talk to him?"

He shook his head, placing the jacket on the coat rack.

"Will you actually say something?"

He shook his head, smirking at his irritated sister. He picked the backpack from the floor and ran towards the staircase.

"Hey, no running!"

He ignored her, darting up the stairs for the finish line. With every heavy-footed step, his mood picked up. It was like pumping air into a bicycle wheel. He smiled upon sight of his bedroom door, knowing everything behind that door made life monochromatic in comparison.

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><p><span>Old AN: So... first chapter. Not sure about the ending, but eh. It's a process. I'm starting college this week, so updates will be sparingly, however, I'm dedicated to finishing this story. I really like the chapters I've written (up to four, but once again, sparingly updating so I'll have time to write if I momentarily lose inspiration.) Thanks for reading. Next update either near the end of this month or beginning of next month.

New A/N (3/31/12): I re-uploaded the first chapter because I felt like I needed to add more information about the story. I had that pretty pretentious sounding summary and I didn't like it when I put it up, but I couldn't think of anything else. So, yeah, new information, new summary. Hope you keep on reading the next few chapters.

New, new A/N (3/05/13): Doing some minor tweaks to the all the chapters for grammar and spelling currently. I'll be re-editing all these ridiculous Author's Notes when finished.

New readers, I update about once every month to three months depending on my attack of inspiration, but I strive for once a month. Okay, happy reading!


	2. Beware

**A/N**: Psyche. I don't know, I feel like the second chapter should be up also. Mainly because neither really forwards the story, only providing like, background information. So, it works out I think. Anyway, go read on.

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><p><span>Beware<span>

The ceiling stood still above the brunet, or at least it felt like it was still. He could stare at his ceiling for ages, noting the butchered stains from water damage or the former mold spots that were in the corners. The people who owned this house didn't take good care of it before his family moved in. There were a few holes where larger lights were probably held and other spots that were poorly duct taped instead of filled. The brunet tried to fix part of the ceiling with some paint, only to ruin it further. His ceiling was a piece of art, or at least he sarcastically thought it was.

The brunet's newfound hobby was to watch the ceiling, as it seemed to be the only thing centered in his life. It didn't spin out of control like everything else. It stayed perfectly in place, letting the brunet know there was something stable to hold onto. All he needed was the security and for once it was granted by the piss-poor conditions of the wall above him. He stared at the ceiling, gathering thoughts of clarity, pretending that nothing was happening outside of his door. It was a game to him, a fucked up game. Ignore the screaming, ignore the tears, all that existed was him and the water damage. It was so easy, yet it dragged time on longer and longer.

The everyday task of school grew into an escape every passing afternoon. He looked forward to disappearing in textbooks and paperwork, keeping a distance from his reality. The brunet could act like the way he wanted to feel: happy, successful, ready to take on college, the way he should be. He would look up into the blue sky and wish for the some sanity. Just an ounce of peace. His wishes would never come true though. The brunet would collapse on his cot, straining his eyes to make out the dark dots from the mold. It most likely wasn't healthy to live in such conditions, but what else could he do? Everything else in his life was equally messed up.

Every night, his eyes would struggle to stay shut, always slipping back open. He never consented to consciousness, his body would just kick him back awake. He drowned in his awareness, listening to bottles breaking and drunken threats. No matter how many sleeping positions he tried to curl up into, rest was something he was never allowed. The brunet gave up and allowed himself to absorb every heated word that left his father's mouth, including 'faggot' comments towards himself. Not a single positive word.

xoxo

A sneaker to the abdomen awakened Neji, knocking the air of him. He heaved, curling in a tight ball, trying to breathe. A small tear formed in his eye, but he pulled it back.

"Wake up, faggot," his father slurred, bending over to pick up the sneaker he tossed. He held it in his hand, waiting for Neji to regain oxygen. Neji knew what he was waiting for, but he didn't want to say it.

His father raised an eyebrow, asking, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Neji uncurled himself, breathing steadily once more, but remained silent, staring at his father's bloody, bare feet. Either he cut his foot or kicked someone in the face. The sneaker met Neji's skull, along with, "What the FUCK do you think you're doing? Get the fuck out of bed."

A shock of pain went through Neji's head from the sneaker. He rubbed it tenderly, but began to sit up in bed. He knew it was a bad idea to keep ignoring his father, but he hated this. Every fucking morning was a new way to harm Neji. Not enough to cause physical marks, but hard enough to make sure Neji knew who was in charge. The brunet grit his teeth, trying to suppress any ill words. It was too early to start a fight, plus Hanabi would be starting her first day of school in a year. He didn't want to ruin her first day by causing any more drama than necessary.

Neji picked up the sneaker, rolling it to his father's feet even though he knew he would be hit with it at least one more time. The sooner it happened, the sooner he could get ready for school. He watched the bloody feet get closer to his bed. A hand threaded itself through Neji's long, brown hair and pulled him up. His scalp burnt from the hold, but he didn't try to fight back.

"I think you forgot to say something to me, faggot," his father mumbled. Neji could smell the stench of alcohol spewing from his mouth. It was absolutely putrid. He _had_ to get shit-faced on Hanabi's first day after his mother told him to keep it down. Hanabi didn't need to be any more nervous about it.

Anger rushed through Neji's veins, thinking about his father's attempt to mess up her day as he growled, "I don't think I did, father."

He took the foot to his stomach, knocking the air back out of him. When he doubled over, the sneaker smacked him across the face at full force. The grip around his hair tightened, probably ripping out a few strands from the rebound of his head. Neji tried to fight the tears in his eyes, but when he tasted blood pooling in his mouth, they fell out. He refused to sob in front of his father though. He would never let his father feel like he won. He tried to quickly wipe them away when he earned another hard tug to his scalp.

"Crying, faggot? What happened to those balls you had a few seconds ago?" Neji clenched his jaw shut. Backtalking would be another hit, not answering would be a hit. Either way, he couldn't win. He opted for silence, promising a good day for Hanabi. He'd take the brunt of the violence if he meant she would be left out from it. He was thrown back onto the bed, landing with an 'oomph.'

"Hmph," he heard his father say. He imagined him smirking at Neji's defenseless body. "Don't start shit you can't finish, got it?"

Neji spit out the blood in his mouth near his father's feet before grudgingly replying, "Yes, Sir."

Yes, sir. God, that boiled Neji's blood having to refer to the authority figure as 'sir.' As if he held any sort of respect for him. Why the fuck should he? He's an abusive drunk who lives off of handicap checks which mainly funds his never-ending line of alcohol. Yeah, that's really respectful.

Neji heard him mumble something before the feet exited his room, slamming the door behind them. He counted five seconds before letting the repressed tears fall out. His heart felt so heavy, while his stomach churned in agony. He hated being so weak, never being able to fight back without some catastrophic result occurring to the rest of the family. If he had his way, he would have taken Hanabi and Hinata away, run away somewhere safe and live on their own instead of the shithole they had to call a home. If he had his way, his mother wouldn't be a submissive pushover who's desire to fight back dwindled when she received threats of divorce from their father. It was disgusting. People like his parents shouldn't have even tried to bear children if their future turned out like this.

He spit out another wad of blood and saliva on the floor, wiping the trail with the back of his hand. He hoped the only marks were inside his mouth, not on his face. He didn't want his first day of school being spent explaining a large red mark on his cheek. The only thing that kept his mind from slipping into absolute chaos was maintaining his grades in school. Good grades meant scholarship which meant free school. Free school would give him a degree that gets him a job to get money, buy a place, and take Hinata and Hanabi in. The possibility of taking them away was the one thing he could have hope for. Hope. After years of dealing with the same bullshit, hope seemed to grow sillier and sillier, yet it was the only thing that kept him running at this point. Without it, he would have given in to complete submission of his father.

Neji stood up, almost stumbling in the process. His head felt dizzy, re-cooperating from his father's strikes. He made his way to the tiny window which made his room feel more like a prison than a bedroom. He looked outside, seeing the sun shining bright, yet hardly any light could make it through to his dank room. Neji frowned, hoping it wasn't some messed up metaphor life was giving him. He looked over to the opposite wall, making out the time. 7:06. _Eventful six minutes, wasn't it?_

The brunet sighed, quickly preparing for his first day. He peeled off his bloody pajamas and pulled on a t-shirt, a white sweater, and gray baggy shorts. He picked up his messenger bag, exiting his Hell for a happier place. No matter how vicious the confrontations were here, there was school, ready to open it's violence-free arms to Neji.

xoxo

A large, yellow bus rolled up to the curb of his neighboring house. He didn't want anyone to know he lived in the piece of shit place next door, so he stood in front of the nice house beside it. As the doors opened, it didn't seem the bus driver didn't even tell the difference of the addresses. He waved him to come aboard. Neji nodded, biting his lip. He took the three steps up and turned towards the aisle. Everyone's eyes followed him as he tried to find an empty seat. It was suffocating the attention they paid to him, but it came with being a new student. He had experience three other times before this one. Now all he waited for was someone to shout out, 'Hey, new kid, sit with me!'

To Neji's surprise, it never came. It was odd considering there was always some exuberant person in the morning. Apparently, he rode the morning misery bus. The only free spot he found was by a redhead who stared out the window. He sunk into the seat, waiting for him to turn around and stare at him. He did nothing. In fact, the only action he did was switch from the window to his hands that rested on the backpack on his lap. He inspected every crevice, every uneven skin tone patch, even the chipping black nails he had. It was interesting to see someone so intrigued by their own hands compared to the new student beside them. In a way, it made him happy to know there was someone who could care less about him existing, new or old.

His eyes fell down to the black jacket with quarter sleeves. From under it, the boy fidgeted with the hole-y black sweater's sleeves, poking his fingers through random holes. He wondered if the boy knew how odd he looked playing with his hands. He probably did know and ignored it. Neji looked away from the boy, not wanting to become some creep watching him the whole bus ride.

After a few minutes, the bus pulled up to a large building. There were swarms of teenagers walking across the lawn, up the stairs, and disappearing into the doors. Everyone on the bus began to stand up, squeezing into the aisle. Neji waited a bit, not wanting to push himself between the two large kids who stood beside him. As he waited, he took a glance at the redhead. His eyes focused out the window, watching kids exiting the bus. It was amazing the lack of care this kid had. A spot opened up and Neji stood up, slipping in with ease. He walked behind a girl, taking the three steps, and hopping onto the sidewalk of the school. His eyes peered up at the tall building. He whistled for a second, impressed by the design of the place. He smoothed down his long hair and made his way towards the entrance, forgetting about the redhead.

xoxo

"Class, we have a new student. He moved from Konoha City, so give him a Sunaville welcome!" The stocky teacher told the class, bearing a grin that screamed enthusiasm. A couple students mumbled a welcome while everyone else either groaned or ignored him. Neji felt even better from the bus ride. His English class didn't give a shit about him being new either. The teacher motioned him towards the back of the class to get a desk.

He walked down the aisle, searching for an empty one. Right smack in the middle of the last row was one. He slipped into it and placed his single notebook on the top. Neji glanced to his right, seeing a black-haired boy with spiked hair in the back. Kind of looked like a duck. He almost snorted. He rolled his eyes to the left, seeing a familiar blaze of red hair. The boy from the bus sat next to him, erasing a bunch of words from a piece of paper, including his name from the top. The redhead seemed fascinated by the shavings, he even smiled for a second before frowning again. Neji looked away, gulping. He hoped that the kid was just bored and not a little psychotic in the head.

The teacher yelled out something about last night's assignment. Neji watched his peers gather up papers from their desk, passing it down to the person on their right. _Oh, they were collecting it_. Neji turned his head to the redhead who frantically re-wrote whatever he erased before. The girl beside him pushed the papers into his elbow. It took a few seconds, but the redhead took the stack, adding his to the top. He leaned over the right side of his desk, arm limply holding them out to Neji. He took them from the boy's hand, stealing another look at him. The red hair was shagged and matted like he just woke up and went to school. Neji twisted to the right, handing the homework to the black-haired boy.

The brunet faced forward, listening to the lecture that had to do with the assignment they were handing in. According to the teacher, it was the last assignment for whatever book they read. There was going to be a test on it at the end of the week, but they were going to start a new book: _Lolita_ by Vladmir Nabokov. Neji's eyes widened, surprised by the choice of the book. He read half of it in his old public library and it didn't seem very school-friendly. Older male to pubescent girl relationships didn't seem very educational, however it was a good read compared to other choices the teacher could have made. He assumed it was because everyone in the class was seventeen, eighteen, and would be mature enough not to take the premise of the story to a darker place than it already was. Neji almost scoffed if that was the intent. Teenagers were teenagers, they could take anything to a dark place if you gave them ample opportunity.

The next forty-five minutes skimmed by almost too quickly for the brunet. He was enraptured by lecture, eager to begin reading the book. He loved when a good book was available for an English curriculum, it improved his grades significantly. Neji took a glimpse towards the redhead. He sat perfectly still, focused on lecture. Perhaps he enjoyed the book too.

The bell rang, scaring awake the kids who had been sleeping the whole time. A few people laughed at their reaction. The kids started to gather their papers, filing out of the class immediately. Neji waited for a few more people to leave before he stood up. He wanted to ask the teacher where his next classroom was without appearing dweeby and lost to everyone. He picked up his notebook and looked up, meeting someone's eyes.

Eyes so blue, as if someone balled the ocean into a marble and placed it into this person's eye sockets. His eyeliner was harsh in comparison to his soft eyes, lining the lids for emphasis. The redhead's eyes widened for a moment before breaking the eye contact. He looked down at the floor, pressing his papers to his chest and walked around Neji to the doorway. _Those eyes_, he thought, visually following his exit. It took every ounce of restraint in his body not to follow the boy.

xoxo

"So, you're new, right?" the black haired kid from English class asked, shoveling a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth. Neji nodded, trying to understand how he ended up surrounded by a circle of people. He had been sitting by himself until the black haired boy sat beside him. What followed was a line of other guys with weird face markings. He probably sat at their normal table and they refused to sit elsewhere.

The black-haired boy swallowed his potatoes and said, "I'm Sasuke." He pointed down the row of guys surrounding him. "Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru, Shino." The all gave little waves during their introductions.

"Neji," he said, stabbing the salisbury steak on his tray with a fork.

The other guys launched into a discussion about school that he didn't understand seeing as he was new. He continued to stab the steak, unable to bring himself to consume it. Years of malnourishment dampened his appetite, spoiling any chance of eating foods that he liked.

He detached himself from the table's words and looked around the cafeteria. Tables stuffed with loud teenagers eating and shouting while teachers stood by the door ways, arms crossed. They were the watch-hawks, ready to swoop in to separate fighting students or correct bad behavior. While it was a role they were paid to do, it seemed annoying to say the least. They had to stand there and watch every single teenager, looking out for trigger words that would cause a ruckus. He'd never want to be a teacher in high school at least.

Neji sighed, pushing his tray away from him, hoping someone would claim the steak so it wouldn't go to waste. As he thought it, Kiba nabbed it with a fork. He stuck it in his mouth and devoured it with ease. Neji half-smiled at the sight. Now he knew who his personal garbage can would be. He looked away from the table, attempting to figure out the layout of the cafeteria. There were more than a dozen round tables filled to the brink with students. The lunch line was pressed towards the back of the cafeteria along with the vending machines. He shifted his focus to the windows where he could make out kids eating in the brisk autumn air. _It was really nice outside_, he thought. _Why didn't I sit outside to eat?_

He watched a pink haired girl smile at the blond boy beside her. The blond boy threw his head back, presumably laughing. Then his eyes met Neji's stare. Neji shifted his focus to the empty table beside them. Upon changing focus, he saw a faint red dot walking towards the table. He tried to see if it was the redhead, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared. A quick breeze entered the cafeteria, followed by the red dot. Neji turned his head. It disappeared again. Not wanting to lose it again, he turned back to face the table and stared at the cafeteria doors. The redhead from earlier pushed the doors open, leaving lunch. When his foot touched the hallway floor, the bell rang.

The boys at his table sprung up, cheering for their next class, gym. Sasuke patted Neji on the back and asked what he had. He answered study hall. Sasuke said he should get it changed to gym before running off with the rest of his gang. Neji was left by himself at the table to watch his peers leave. He was glad they left. They were too loud for his tastes.

xoxo

Neji opted to walk home instead of taking the school bus, wanting to enjoy the weather while he could. The temperature was just right with the slightest wind to rustle his long hair. He tucked a strand behind his ear and placed his hands into his pockets, keeping his stroll slow. He took in the little houses with manicured lawns and white mail boxes off the curb. It was nauseatingly perfect the way these houses existed down the block of his house, the tattered flat level with dead grass. The sun warmed his face for a second before vanishing behind a puffy cloud. Neji looked up, watching the sunlight light up the cloud like a lantern. He wanted to lay down on someone's lawn and watch the clouds, but he had to get home. If he wasn't home soon, his mother would be a target of his father's anger (if it flared up).

He snarled to himself, hating that even when his father wasn't around, he'd ruin any happy moment Neji experienced. He peeled his eyes from the sky, lengthening his stride. With every heavy-footed step, he felt worse and worse as if someone was deflating a balloon. He couldn't stand having to return to purgatory after a lukewarm day of school. He'd relive the same uneventful day over and over again if it meant avoiding his household. Hell, licking a toilet clean was more appealing.

Amidst his dark thoughts, he had arrived home, opening the shoddy door. The knob was loose, meaning sometime this week, Neji would stop by a hardware shop to buy a new knob and lock. He rolled his eyes at his new task, entering the empty home. He shut the door and heard his father bellowing about his mother's cooking. _What's new_?, he thought. _When she cooks, he complains it's wrong. When she tries it another way, he says he likes it the other way. Bullshit_. He took off his shoes, placing it on the shoe rack everyone seemed to neglect. Boots and sneakers were strewn across the inside mat rather than put away. Neji leaned over and gently put them away except his father's. He propped them neatly by the door so he could hop into them later.

Neji dragged his feet through the entrance way towards the living room. Hanabi and Hinata sat on the floor, watching the television set with two little plates of food in front of them. He dropped his messenger bag on the floor. It made a thud that caught the girls' attention.

Hanabi smiled, greeting him, "Hi, Neji!" The smiles she gave were rare. It brightened Neji's mood whenever he saw it, reminding him when he was younger, more innocent. Those days are gone though.

"Hello, Hanabi," he replied, baring a small grin for his sister. She hopped up to her feet, tossing his arms around Neji's waist. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders in return. "You had a good day at school?"

Hanabi stepped back and nodded her head frantically. "It was great! The teacher was so nice and gave me stickers and I made a friend and I found out she was from Konoha City and said 'welcome back'," she paused and frowned at the end. "Even though I wasn't there last year..."

Neji held her again, saying, "It's fine, as long as everyone was nice, right?" She smiled and nodded her head, sitting back on the floor with Hinata.

He nodded at her briefly before walking to his room. He opened the door and and threw himself on his bed, still bloody from this morning's session. He picked at the dried blood, taking a few deep breaths. He could still feel the burn of a rubber sole against his cheek. It tingled, reminding him of his place. He was a bottom-feeder, not even worth the scraps his mother would reluctantly serve to him, Hinata, and Hanabi. Father got to feast, passing on the leftovers to Neji. Even though he was dirt in his heel, he was the other man in the house. Neji would thank him, then give the pieces to Hanabi, wanting to make sure the youngest was the best fed.

Neji shut his eyes, ignoring the muffled yells from the other room. He silently went over the tasks he'd be doing over the weekend: _laundry, scrub the bed clean, clean out the garbage disposal, fix the doorknob. How much was a doorknob? Ten dollars at least?_ He groaned and flipped over onto his back. There went next week's school lunches. He had to save up the money otherwise the door probably wouldn't lock anymore.

He felt his head spinning, overwhelmed from everything. The shadows in the kitchen of his father pulling his mother's hair, the half-healed wounds in his cheeks, the scraps carelessly tossed on Hinata's and Hanabi's plates. The food hardly looked cooked. They looked thinner than usual too. His head took another spin, almost inducing him to vomit. He gagged and curled up on his side, forcing it back in place. A tear rolled down his cheek. It burned too much to puke, even if it would make him feel better for two seconds. He felt his body roll as if the bed lifted up. Neji gripped the sheets, trying to hold on. He felt his body roll again, this time to the left. He dug his nails into the cotton not wanting to fly off the cycle. Why did everything have to move? Couldn't he get a minute of rest?

Neji rolled onto his back once more, gripping the sheets as hard as he could. He felt like he was upside down, holding on for dear life to stop from falling. Every time the grip loosened, the force behind him grew stronger. His throat went dry, his heart pounded endlessly, he felt the sweat pouring from his head. This was it. He was going to lose and fall into the abyss. He could see the dark pit that awaited him. Why was he fighting? In the end it was pointless.

He let go. He opened his eyes.

The ceiling. The water damage stared back at him, reminding Neji that it wasn't real. He wasn't falling, he wasn't spiraling, and he definitely wasn't giving into his doom. It stood perfectly still. Neji imagined how stupid he must have looked, clutching the bed as if it was his only means of survival. He took a few deep breaths, wavering the nausea that sat at the end of his throat.

The ceiling was his center. He lived in the centripetal force, but the ceiling was the center. Beneath the ceiling, life stood still. In his room, his life was completely motionless. Just the way he likes it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Okay, NOW there will be an update near the end of January or beginning of February. Thanks for reading.


	3. You Came To Me

You Came To Me

"Gaara, can you pass the waffles?" Temari asked, waving her empty plate at her younger brother. Gaara peered up from his _Lolita_ book, raising an eyebrow at the pigtailed blonde. She growled, waving the plate once more. He sighed and pushed the plate of perfectly cooked waffles towards her. She stabbed her fork into two of the waffles and dropped it onto her plate.

"God, I love waffles! Don't you?" She cheered, cutting away at golden squares. Gaara watched from behind the book as she looked over his plate. She noticed the mutilated waffles, but saw there were no pieces of it missing. The cheerful smile she wore faltered as she asked, "Uhm, are you going to eat your waffles?" Gaara stuck his nose back into his book and pushed the plate towards her. "Hey! I didn't mean I wanted them! I mean, are you actually going to eat some food?"

Gaara rolled his eyes at Temari's questioning, earning a glare from her. He pressed his eyebrows together, shaking his head slightly. Temari placed her utensils down and tightened one of her pigtails, stating, "You can talk to me, you know? We're supposed to be brother and sister, not two strangers eating breakfast together. I'd like to know that you still have a damn voice."

He sighed, taking a swig of his beverage: blueberry syrup. Tucked behind the cup, he had the stack of chocolate chips he had torn from the waffles on a napkin. He knew it frustrated Temari to no end when he did her two least favorite things: remained silent and avoid eating the substantial part of meals. No matter how many times she asked for him to eat or talk, he typically relented. He didn't like to talk much, but he could. She knew he could. He spent a whole day yelling at Kankuro for putting a stink bomb in his room during the summer. That was in the summer though, now it was September. He spent a two whole months in (general) silence.

Gaara didn't have a vow of silence. Speaking wasn't something he liked to do. He made the bare minimum contact with others and kept it at that. Just like with his appetite. He didn't like the feeling of eating. Chewing, saliva drenching every morsel, feeling sticky food slide down his throat. It was overall unappealing. On the other hand, sweets were the only thing that he made an exception for. Their taste was the only thing that convinced Gaara to go through the task of consumption. From time to time he'd eat a normal food. Note, _a_ normal food. He would pick one tolerable food such as mashed potatoes, oatmeal, or chowder. Something that was malleable to reduce the amount of chewing he had to do. Temari probably thought she picked a jackpot food for breakfast by putting chocolate chips in waffles, but all she did was give Gaara a challenge to get to the sweets.

He didn't know how it came to this. The day when he started depriving his nutritional needs was clear in his mind, but the day he opted out from speaking was something that occurred over time. Everyday, he banned certain words, certain phrases. He didn't need to tell people every detail of his life, thus no need for the extra words he spoke. It became simple really. He diminished his vocabulary until there was enough to get through his home life without being considered rude. His siblings caught sight of his silence quick when they had gone from long discussions to periodic exchanges. At some point, they gave up on his speech barrier and stuck with 'yes' and 'no' questions. His father was the only one he spoke to and that was only when confronted by him. Other than that, he was only pressed to speak by his siblings.

"Can you just say something, anything?" Temari begged, ignoring the lukewarm waffles that sat on her plate.

He frowned, taking another swig of syrup. He cleared his throat and mumbled, "Something. Anything." Hm, his voice was rougher than he remembered.

Temari tossed up her hands with a big smile, yelling, "IT SPEAKS!"

"Ha, ha. So funny."

She stuck her tongue out, but smiled. At least Gaara pleased her by showing off his still existent vocal chords. Now she could leave him alone.

"It worries Kankuro and I when you don't talk." _Or not_. "We want you to know that we're here for you." Temari looked around the blue kitchen. Kankuro wasn't there, he ducked out early for school. "Or I am, at least. Anyway, if you ever feel upset or anything, you can come to us, alright?"

Gaara hated when she got like this. She swears that he's suffering from depression. Logically, it made sense. He stopped eating almost, hardly spoke, wore dark clothing, and locked himself in his room for as long as possible, staring at his ceiling. Sounds like the beginning signs of a bad teenage drama. Factually, he was perfectly fine. He knew the dangers of not eating. Before he took his plunge into restricted 'dieting,' he looked up the signs of malnourishment. So far, he only experienced a few minor symptoms, not that it was a big deal in the first place to him.

He nodded at her suggestion although he could care less about her concern. He knew he was fine, that's all that mattered. He scooped up the chocolate chips, threw them into his mouth, took a chug of syrup, and left the table with his book. He shrugged off Temari's hurt face. She cares too much about the little stuff.

xoxo

Neji fingered through the pages of his history book, struggling through his double vision. It was hard to concentrate at the moment thanks to boot to the skull because he accidentally dropped a dish washing. It was too early to read. (_It was too early to be hit._) He wasn't even sure how he managed to wobble onto the bus. He barely remembered it. All he could remember was some blond boy that tugged him down beside him, asking if he was new.

He rubbed his forehead, feeling uneasy. Maybe he should have skipped school today. The pain in his head certainly gave him a reason to, but he'd be shanghai'ed by his father if he came home so early.

'_Couldn't take a bit of pain, fag_?' Slap. '_Thought you fuckers got off on that_.' Slap. '_What a pussy. Can't even take a hit without crying_.' Slap.

Neji shook his head. Home was the absolute last option. He could fight through it, he'd endured worse than a boot. All he had to do was focus on the book. He didn't have to read it, but at least look like he knew what he was doing. He looked down at the words, trying to make out a sentence, but the text was too small and swarming all over. They were like ants, crawling from one side to the next. He shut his eyes and buried his head into his hands, praying the spinning wouldn't happen. He couldn't deal with it in public, especially in a quiet classroom like this.

He tried to shake the feeling of people staring at him and his uncomfortable head position, yet he felt like they were all watching. Their glares were burning into his back. He shouldn't be so paranoid about people. Most of the time, nobody pays attention to one another unless someone is making a scene. He didn't want to make the scene of falling out of his chair.

Neji waited for the dizziness to stop before raising his hand in the middle of the lecture. The teacher paused and asked, "Yes?"

"May I go to the nurse's office?"

"Come get the hall pass."

Neji nodded, stepping up from his desk. He made his way to the front of the room, fighting through the shakiness. The floor rumbled and jumped beneath his feet. It was trying to make him fall over, but he wouldn't. He reached for the pass in the teacher's hand and left the room, almost tripping over the leg of someone's desk.

He walked into the hallway and shut the door behind him. He took a step away from the door when he realized he hadn't asked where the nurse's office was.

"Fuck!" he muttered to himself. He didn't want to walk back in and ask like an idiot. A seventeen year old boy should be smart enough to figure out where the medical room was. It was a three story school. Common sense shouted that it'd be on either the first floor by the main office or by the gymnasium. His feet pivoted to the right, deciding to follow the staircase he was familiar with. It was the best option to go with.

xoxo

Gaara's toleration for other people was minimal, but there was something about study hall that made being with people okay. For starter's, silence was an absolute. No matter how much his peers wanted to chatter, it was against the rules. Study hall was meant to study, do homework, work on projects, school-related tasks. If you didn't have one, you had the options of reading a book, drawing/writing, or the oh-so popular 'stare at the clock for the next forty minutes.'

Then there was Gaara. He never did any of those choices. Actually, they never applied to his study hall class. He showed up for attendance, stayed the required ten minutes after the bell, and would walk right out of the class, no questions asked. It was another perk of his ghost abilities. He could see from his peripheral the odd faces his peers would make, but they never said a word for some reason. Maybe it was unfair to the other students, but why should he care? Their problems didn't affect his life, so his actions shouldn't affect theirs.

He tapped his fingers on the desk, counting the seconds that passed in his head. _Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six_.

Someone walked into the class late. Gaara heard a quiet 'sorry,' followed by an explanation. It sounded like a girl. Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four.

The teacher re-stated the policies of being late to the class. Saying something how like if this was college, he'd lock you out of the room. If you didn't want to show up on time, you weren't needed anyway. Gaara sighed. _Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty_.

Gaara pushed himself away from the desk, letting the squeaks of the metal chair skid over the linoleum. He reached down for his bowling ball bag and stood up. He walked straight out of the classroom, making no eye contact with anyone. Everything was blurred in his peripherals. The only thing he needed to make out was the doorway.

Once out, he followed the hallway down, taking a few staircases until he got to the emergency exit door near the music room. Last year, he disfigured the alarm so he could make an easy escape to the Forest. The exit lead to the teacher's parking lot. The parking lot sat sixty feet away from the outdoor eating area. He would walk the curb down until he reached the field. He'd walk across the lawn and dip into one of the rocky, hiking trails the Nature Club created. The trail would take him in a semi circle before leading to a fork. The left would lead deeper into the forest where poison berries and ferns were abundant while the right lead towards the picnic tables. Usually Gaara took the left to avoid being seen (even if people never stopped him), but thought the picnic area needed a bit of re-decorating.

He took the right, strolling under the twisted canopy of leaves.

xoxo

Neji was so close. He saw the red cross illuminated off the ceiling, waiting for his arrival to rest and calm his head. He took his few steps. Then the floor bucked. Neji stumbled to his left, thrown off by the floor's actions. His left foot slid from underneath him, sending him crashing to the floor. His left arm ached from the landing. He propped his feet up, ready to stand up once more when the floor tilted again. From his crouched position, his hands shot down to the floor, trying to maintain his balance. His stomach twisted. He could feel the bile settling in the back of his throat. He couldn't puke, not in the hallway.

_Reach a bathroom, reach the nurse's office, then pop your top_, he thought. He stood up once more. The floor was flat thankfully. He sighed in relief and continued his way to the nurse's office.

He hated feeling like this. Neji could never tell when a bout of whatever he had sprung out on him. He could be perfectly fine, watching tv, then fall over from standing up. It was terrifying to lose his sense of balance. He couldn't control where his body weight shifted, only what he did to stop himself from landing hard. It was even worse when everything spun. He couldn't even tell what direction he went until he'd inevitably end up on the floor or into a wall. He knew it wasn't right at all. He was probably so fucked up in the head from beatings, but there was no way to go to a doctor to know exactly what it was. It never occurred prior to junior high. Back then, it was a spiral every so often, now he was lucky to walk up a flight of stairs without falling over.

Neji sighed, a few feet away from the nurse's office. All he had to do was walk forward. _The door is on the right. Just keeping going_, he thought.

The floor bucked all of a sudden, worse than the time before. Neji felt a sharp pain jolt through his head as his body jerked to the right, full force into a set of lockers. Now all he saw was stars. White little dots, then black.

xoxo

Gaara wrapped a black lace ribbon around a tree limb and tied it to the base of the branch. He grabbed the tape out of his pocket and ripped off a piece to secure the tie. He got off of the picnic table, backing up a few more steps before looking up to his piece of art. The twisted tree that was bare was now decorated with lace and paper star ornaments with glitter he made. The gold stars shimmered with the sunlight, lighting up the tree. Gaara was sort of surprised by his work. He didn't know it'd turn out this good.

He looked to the four other trees he planned to work with. Their trunks were aching to be dressed in something colorful while the branches danced, waiting for their chance to be dripping in ribbons. Gaara could imagine how weird it must have looked to see some guy putting lace and stars in trees, but he didn't care much. It was better than the plain trees he stared at during lunches. Now it'd a little sector of his room, a fantasy world where you can see stars everywhere, even in the tree tops. It was breath taking. Before he could even give a little smile, he heard a sound he hadn't heard in a while.

His cellphone's bird ringtone: _Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp_.

Gaara raised an eyebrow at the picnic table where his books and phone sat. Temari wouldn't call when he was in school, Kankuro hated his phone as much as Gaara did, and his father was too busy to do anything relating to his children during daytime hours. He wouldn't know until he picked up. He flipped the top and pressed it to his ear. No one. He shrugged and shut it when he saw an icon on the front. It was an envelope, meaning he got a text. It was even stranger. NO ONE texted him. He flipped it open and saw 'New Message from xxx-xxx-xxxx.' He didn't recognize the number, but checked it out.

There was a long line of recipients and one message from the sender:

Naruto here! Turns out the new kid took a nasty spill in the hallway by the office. Blood was everywhere!

Gaara shut his phone. Two thoughts when across his mind: He didn't give a fuck about the new kid, and how the hell did Naruto get his number?

xoxo

_Oh my God, is he dead?_

_No, dipshit. If he was dead, do you think he'd be breathing?_

_Sorry! I was just asking._

_Don't ask stupid questions._

"What?"

_Hey, I think he's waking up. Nurse. Nurse!_

_What is it?_

_The kid's walking up!_

_No need to shout. There's a lot of kids who don't feel well here._

_This kid definitely doesn't._

"...shut up."

_You should listen to him. Now get to class you two._

_Aww, come on, can't we see if he's okay first?_

_I thank you girls for carrying him the rest of the way to the office and even getting his books from class, but there's no more need for you to be here._

_Fiiiiiiiine. Bye Nurse._

_Bye dead guy._

_I told you he's not dead._

_He looks it._

_Bye girls._

"Finally."

_Right?_

Neji opened his eyes, staring at a white ceiling. (Center.) It smelled like cleaning alcohol and floor polish where ever he was. His head hurt worse than usual, providing a fun experience trying to sit up. A pair of hands pushed him back down, saying, "Sorry if those girls disturbed your rest. They brought you into my office. You apparently fell over and hit your head against a locker. I want you to lie down and relax until we can get a hold of your parents."

His heart stopped for a moment. No. She couldn't call his parents. His dad would kick his ass for calling him out of house because his got a ding to the head.

'_Why the fuck didn't you stay in school?_' Kick. '_You hit your head? Can't even take a fucking hit?_' Kick. '_What the fuck type of boy are you?_' Kick.

_No, no, no_. He sat up abruptly, sending a sharp pain through his head once more.

"Ugggghh..." he groaned, holding his forehead. He felt disoriented, but he couldn't show it to the nurse. It'd be an excuse to call his father.

A gray-haired woman placed a hand on his shoulder. Neji stiffened at the touch. It was hard not to be fidgety with what he went through. She noticed his jumpiness and retracted it. She placed it on her lap and said, "Sweetheart, you got to relax. Now, what's your number so I can call home?"

Neji couldn't go home. It wasn't an option, it was a punishment. He put on the best smile he could and asked, "Is it possible not to call them? I could rest here, just until next period."

The nurse smiled and shook her head. "No, darling. Fainting spells in the hallway isn't exactly an indicator of good health. Rest at home would be better. Perhaps your parents could take you to the doctor's."

He stopped himself from snorting. _Yeah, and my dad will get a job and give up drinking_, he thought. "Really, ma'am. I'm fine. I didn't eat breakfast this morning. I was just light-headed and fell over. Really, it's fine."

"No, no," she said, wagging a finger at Neji like he was a bad puppy. "I insist you go home."

Neji wanted to groan. This woman wasn't making his situation any easier. He just wanted to stay in school, away from home. He didn't care if his forehead was ripped open and only covered at gauze and cotton at this point, school was safe.

"If I cannot stay school, may I suggest me walking home? My mom is pregnant, near her third trimester. She isn't in any state to drive and get me and my father is out doing odd jobs. I'd really hate to bother either. My house is only a few roads away from the school." Neji didn't know what was scarier: how smooth he could lie through his teeth or the fact that the woman was believing this bullshit.

The nurse squished her lips together as if considering his suggestion. Neji bit his lip, waiting for her response. He really fucking hoped she'd allow him to.

"Alright," she started. _Thank you, cosmic powers of the Universe. For once, you've taken pity on me_. She rolled her chair to the desk across the room, taking out a pad of notes. She started to scribble something and rolled back over to Neji's anxious body. "Alright, hun. This is a Walk Out pass. Typically we only give it to the legal age seniors, but since you live nearby and you're close to eighteen, I'll allow it, but only this time, alright?"

Neji nodded, giving her a genuine smile. "Thank you very much," he said, sliding off the uncomfortable plastic bed. The nurse gave him a smile as he gathered his items off the table nearby. He walked out of the sterile room, heading to his locker.

Now he had to figure out where to go. He couldn't stay in school, but he couldn't go home. He hadn't lived in the town long enough to know any places to hide. The only places he had seen was his block, the road to school, and the 'Welcome' sign when he was half asleep in the truck. There had to be a park somewhere. Every town or city has one.

He threw open his locker, stuffed his papers into his backpack, and slung it over his back, slamming the locker shut. _Come on, where would a park be in this place?_ Neji walked down the hallway as slow as he could. He typically didn't lollygag, but with no destination, school seemed to look better and better. Eventually he made it up to the office and showed the walk-out pass to the sad looking woman at the window. The woman nodded him and pressed a button. Neji heard a click and turned towards the door. _Is this town dangerous enough that they need automatic locks? What if there's a fire?_

He threw the thoughts out of his head and stepped outside, walking onto the sidewalk. He tried to think of somewhere to go, but he was absolutely clueless. He could have asked the lady at the window, but it'd look like he was skipping instead of going home. He sighed, dragging his feet as slow as possible in dread. By the time he'd find a park, it'd probably be the end of the school day. He had five or so hours to kill. What is a seventeen year old to do?

_Forest_.

It was the one place nobody would check, but would provide enough strangeness to keep him preoccupied as he walked around. The main focus though would be to not get lost, especially if there wasn't any markings.

Neji walked down the block of the school, then suddenly made a sharp left onto the lawn along the outskirts of the forest. He looked for a clearing while making sure nobody could see him. He saw the outside eating area and ducked into the forest, not sure if anyone was outside. When he hid become a tree, he remembered it was eight in the morning. Lunch doesn't start until ten. He rolled his eyes as his stupidity before coming out again. He quickly ran along the border of the woods, peering at the windows. Eventually he found a clearing and entered.

The limbs of the trees swooned over him, leaves shivering from the breeze. The green leaves playing peekaboo with the sunlight, roots growing out of the ground to form miniature hurdles you could easily trip on. Neji wasn't sure why he found nature so beautiful. Maybe because it was the opposite of his life: untouched, quiet, simple. Plants didn't have lives. They could easily live in the same point for years relying on sunlight and water. He wished things could be that easy.

He found himself getting lost in the foliage surrounding him. Wildlife wasn't as vast in Konoha City, limited to the state park or thinned out woods by the highways. Here though, it was a wonderland of greens and browns. He hadn't seen so much woods that he was legally allowed to walk through. Or, at least he thought the forest here was legal. It wasn't one of his new school questions to know if it's trespassing if he's in the woods beside the school. He sighed, coming up to a fork in the path. Neji assumed the left would be closer to school grounds and the right would bear him closer to the residential homes. He didn't want to inadvertently loiter in someone's backyard, so he picked the left.

Minutes passed as he gazed upon the magnitude of trees and plant life around him. He wished he had an environmental book so he could find out what plants were what instead of looking at anonymous greens. He stumbled into a clearing where two picnic tables sat with trees circling around. He raised an eyebrow, mumbling to himself, "Park?"

It couldn't have been a park, it was still close to the school unless it was a part of the school grounds. Great, now he'd definitely be caught. He rolled his eyes, but walked forward past the single tables. He went through another patch of trees before coming into another clearing that had four picnic tables. Maybe this was a campground at some point? He sighed and continued forward. He walked through another patch of trees, getting his pant legs stuck on a low branch.

"Shit." He tugged at his pants leg, but the branch wouldn't let go. He bent over, manually unattaching the jean from the sharp branch. He stuck his tongue out at the plant, annoyed that it picked him to mess with. He was having a bad day already, he didn't need to get attacked by nature also. _God, I'm immature_. He wiped off some dirt from the bottom and looked up.

The familiar mass of red hair stuck out behind the tree, staring at Neji who probably looked stupid sticking his tongue out at a plant. Neji pulled it back into his mouth and stood up slowly, not sure what to do. The redhead continued to look at Neji, not even hinting at any form of emotion other than recognizing that Neji was existing in his space currently.

Neji let his eyes roam over the boy briefly. The eyeliner was just as thick as the first time he saw him, but noticed he didn't have any eyebrows either. For some reason, the boy looked good without them. His body was thin, maybe thinner than Neji's ill-fed mass, but was buried in an over-sized, distressed black sweater. His gray jeans were slender, showing off his thin legs and his feet was covered in pure black Converse.

He saw the redhead shift. Neji looked down immediately, scared that he had looked too long and creeped the kid out. When he looked up, the redhead was gone. He heard a quick rustle of branches and looked up. The boy was scaling a tree with a roll of ribbon in his mouth. Neji stepped forward, closer to the entrance of the new clearing, watching the boy's action. He expertly pulled himself up to the second row of branches, sitting on the base of one. He undid a bit of the ribbon and knotted it around the branch, then crawled forward, spiraling the ribbon around the limb.

Neji was both nervous and astounded by the boy. Didn't he know he could fall off the tree and land on the picnic table beneath it, or the branch can snap and could get impaled by one of them? The redhead didn't seem concerned by it whatsoever. Without making a single glance downward, he crawled hands and knees on the thick branch until he reached the end. He straddled the edge and nibbled the end of the ribbon. He took out a tape dispenser from his pocket, ripped a piece, and taped it. The boy smiled for a moment, threw the dispenser and ribbon down, followed by his body weight. He landed on his feet hard onto the picnic table.

Neji was impressed by the boy's skills, but confused about what he did. Why was he wrapping ribbons around a tree? Then Neji looked at the tree beside it. It was covered in lace with yellow, glittery stars hanging off the tiny branches. The wind took them and spun them around as the light illuminated them. It was pretty, but seemed to ruin the natural state of the trees. They weren't Christmas trees, they're normal forest trees.

The redhead sat on the table, staring at up the ribboned tree, still as blank in the face as he was with Neji. Neji decided to stop hiding in the patch and fully enter the clearing with the boy. At the sound of crushed leaves, he looked beside him where Neji stood. The brunette gulped, not sure why he wasn't feeling as awkward as he should have. The boy's empty eyes continued their stare as if he was waiting for Neji to say something. Neji took a chance.

"Um... hi?"

The redhead tilted his head at Neji's attempt to break the silence. If anything, it felt like it grew worse. Hours seemed to pass between the two, waiting for something to break the tension.

"You fell."

Neji's eyes widened, both surprised that the boy had actually said something and that he knew he fell.

"How'd you know?"

The redhead broke the stare, reaching beside him for a small gray phone. He flipped it open, pressed a button, and pointed the screen at Neji. "Mass text," the redhead stated. Neji stepped forward to the extended cellphone and looked at it, reading the message.

"Seriously? Great impression I left." How ridiculous is that? Now he'd be the new kid who fainted in the hallway.

The redhead flipped the phone shut and slid it back to it's place at the other side of the table. He shrugged and said, "Who cares?"

"What do you mean?"

His blue eyes met Neji's pale ones. He repeated himself, only slower. "Who. Cares?" Neji frowned, unable to figure out what the boy meant. Did he mean 'why should Neji care what people think' or 'I don't give a shit about anything you're talking about?' The redhead added, "Both meanings." Neji's eyes widened. _Fucking mind-reader_.

The redhead broke the stare once more, reaching into a bowling ball bag. He pulled out a small plastic box where Neji can make out shiny stars like the ones in the trees. He grabbed a handful, shut the lid, and hopped off the table. He separated them into two piles between his hands, losing some glitter in the process.

_How is he going to put them up if both his hands are full_? Neji thought.

He found himself having yellow stars thrusted into his stomach. Neji looked down at the blank face of the redhead. He held the stars, hand pressed against Neji's abdomen, waiting for Neji to take them. He pulled his mouth into a flat line, unsure whether to help or not. He liked the trees how they were, but the boy had already spent time on the tree. It'd be better just to finish it. He sighed and cupped his hands together to grab the stars. Once he held them, the redhead gestured his head towards the tree. Neji assumed it was his way of saying 'that tree.' Obviously, this boy didn't like talking.

The redhead stepped a top the picnic table, leaning forward to get a better angle of the branch to hang the stars. Neji went into auto-pilot like he did during Christmas, hanging things wherever instead of anything strategic. He wasn't even sure why he was doing this. He didn't even know the boy, but he was becoming a willing participant in "vandalizing" school property. Once they ran out of stars, the two boys stepped back and looked at the tree. It wasn't as nice looking as the other, but it was still pretty, even if Neji preferred the original state.

The redhead sat back down on top of the picnic table, staring at the tree as if Neji wasn't there to begin with. He might as well have not been from the way the boy spoke to him.

"Sit," the boy quietly commanded. Neji raised an eyebrow, but took a spot at the end of the picnic table. They stared up at their handiwork, letting silence envelope them. Or at least until Neji grew curious.

"Why did you decorate them?"

The kid replied, "They're plain."

"You know you're supposed to find beauty in nature's simplicity?"

"I don't."

"So, you chose to redecorate them like a house?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The redhead paused as if he was trying to think of a way to explain himself. "I...eat here. I want something...pretty. To see."

"Are you going to do it to all the trees?"

"No. Too much work." At least he understood the limitations of decorating.

"You don't speak much, do you?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I just don't like it."

Neji smiled and joked, "If you say a long sentence, I promise I won't tell anymore. I have no one to tell anyway."

"No."

"Come on, you can trust me. I don't bite."

The redhead turned his head towards Neji. He almost fell into the sea of blue in his eyes. "I might," he bluntly stated.

xoxo

Gaara watched the brunet stiffen at his statement. It was kind of amusing the way he could affect someone with two words. It was like mental Mad Libs, all you need is a vague story and the other person will provide the rest. He assumed the brunette filled in the blanks with images of Gaara clamping down on his shoulder. He looked at the brunet's forehead that was wrapped in gauze with a hint of red. He was curious to know if he bled as much as the text said, but that meant talking more than usual. It was strenuous to speak long sentences without quality to them.

His eyes fell back down to the pale eyes. He was still amazed that eyes like that existed. They were miniature Moons, bright white, clouded by cosmic gases and confusion. Confusion most likely developed from the length of his gaze Gaara held on the strange boy. He had no idea where the boy came from. He was casually hanging his decorations when he heard branches snapping and the low proclamation of 'Shit!'

Curiously, he looked out from behind the tree to see a long-haired boy, trying to get a branch off of his pants leg. He bent over and undid it, sticking his tongue out at the plant. Gaara almost smiled. Nature didn't purposely pick to harm the boy, there was no need for silly behavior. The boy looked over at him, surprised that Gaara had been standing there.

Gaara looked the boy over from the hem of his dark jeans to the navy t-shirt with a gray jacket pulled over. The black messenger bag on his shoulder swung as he stood up slowly. Then Gaara saw the eyes. Those perfect white opals that froze him up the other day. They were absolutely fascinating, a marvel. He could stare at them endlessly. He moved to step closer to the boy when he broke their eye contact and looked downward. Gaara probably scared him from the unrequited attention. He sighed, deciding to continue his decorating if he couldn't look at the eyes.

As Gaara climbed up the tree, he saw the boy step out from the forest, watching him. He didn't want to be distracted by the eyes, not yet. He focused his attention on the tree branch, bandaging it in ribbons. At the end, he taped it down and jumped off, landing on the picnic table. He settled in, mesmerized by his work. Crushed leaves caught Gaara's attention. He turned to look at the oddly confident boy. He would have thought the boy would feel uncomfortable under his scrutinizing stare and silent words, but instead, he stood aimlessly, reciprocating his gaze.

"Um... hi?" Gaara tilted his head, not sure what to say back to him. He hadn't said a greeting to strangers in a long time. He saved them for his family. The easy thing to do would be to say 'hi' back. Gaara never liked doing things the easy way, so he opted to change the subject. He looked up from his eyes to his bandaged forehead. Hello, new topic.

"You fell." The brunet's eyes widened, not sure if he heard him correctly. Gaara was going to repeat himself when he asked how Gaara knew. Gaara reached for his cellphone and went to his last text message. He held the phone out to the boy, explaining, "Mass text." As the boy got closer to the redhead, Gaara felt a shred of pity for the boy. Shame that he had to find out like this, but it wasn't Gaara's problem to begin with. The boy looked genuinely embarrassed by it. Why should he? It wasn't anyone's concern but his own.

"Who cares?" Gaara said, fiddling with the sleeve of his sweater. He heard the boy ask 'what do you mean?' Gaara met his eyes once more, repeating himself slower. "Who. Cares?" The boy looked confused once more. The redhead figured he didn't know what Gaara exactly meant. There wasn't an exact meaning behind it. He could care less about the boy's issue and at the same time, nobody should give a shit if he fell. "Both meanings," he added, shattering the stare by pulling away.

Gaara couldn't spend any more time gazing, he had to finish the tree before next period. He reached into his bag, took out his stars, and separated them into two groups. He shoved a handful into the brunet's stomach. If he was going to stand around in Gaara's hideaway, he might as well do some work to make up for the intrusion of his space. The brunet looked like he reluctantly took the stars. Gaara motioned towards the tree and hopped onto the table to get the higher up branches.

After a few minutes, they ran out of stars. Gaara sat down on the picnic table in awe of his work. It was his room in tree form: ribbons, lace, stars. It kind of made Gaara want to make some more paper stars to hang in his room. He could stargaze during lunch now. In the pit of his abdomen, he felt his stomach backflip in happiness. He looked over to the brunet who stood away from the table, looking up also. It seemed uncomfortable, so he said, "Sit."

The brunet looked surprised, but took the edge of the table. He made no attempts to make conversation. Gaara appreciated it since he wanted to lose himself in the glitter. Spiraling, shimmering, so lovely. He could almost imagine himself flying among them as a fly or a butterfly, surrounded by over-sized stars that sparkled in the sunshine. As an insect, he'd be attracted by it's beauty and want to stay around them for days and days upon end. Of course, they'd be fighting among other flying insects over who gets to hang around the area, but they could come to a compromise. Then they could all float-

"Why did you decorate them?" The unwarranted question knocked Gaara out of his daydream. He almost wanted to growl at him for doing so and scare him off, but weirdly, he appreciated the boy's presence too. (Probably only for the eyes.)

Gaara sighed and replied, "They're plain."

"You know you're supposed to find beauty in nature's simplicity?" Gaara rolled his eyes. There wasn't a law saying he had to appreciate nature the way it was. Maybe the animal instincts in normal humans called for a natural love of... nature, but the deranged human in Gaara found it boring. Green, gray, and brown? Was that the best this forest could do? At least grow some flowers other than weeds.

"I don't," Gaara answered.

"So, you chose to redecorate them like a house?"

Gaara pulled his lips to the side. They weren't exactly like a house, but the concept was there for redecorating. "Yes."

"Why?"

The redhead paused. He wasn't sure how to explain it without getting into detail, so he put it as simple as he could. "I...eat here. I want something... pretty. To see."

"Are you going to do it to all the trees?"

"No. Too much work." There were dozens of trees in the clearing. He only looked one direction when he ate, so there was no need to create a ring of stars, although it sounded tempting.

Then the boy asked about his lack of speech. Everyone always ended up on it. Then he mentioned that 'he wouldn't bite,' which led to Gaara's last statement.

Gaara turned his head to the boy. He locked on and almost felt like gravitating towards the Moons. The trees weren't as nearly breathtaking as this boy's eyes. "I might," he stated. He tried to say it without hitching his breath. It must have succeeded when the boy shivered in response to his statement.

The redhead faintly smiled towards the brunet, silently letting him know it was a joke. Gaara had originally meant it to scare off the boy, but he didn't move. In a way, he was glad he didn't. It meant losing those eyes. If anything, he needed them until he could obtain a photograph of them, then the boy wouldn't be necessary. The boy half-heartedly smiled in return.

Gaara broke their stare for what seemed to be the hundredth time to reach for his cellphone. "Ten minutes," he murmured to himself, reading the time.

"Until what?" the boy asked.

"Until second period starts." Gaara gathered the tape dispenser and ribbon, tossing them into the bowling ball bag and zipping it up. He had considered skipping second period again, but now he had a stranger in his sanctum. He wasn't sure whether to trust him or not. He didn't even know his name, all he knew was that he was new and apparently a klutz. The redhead looked up at the brunette and asked, "What's your name?"

The brunet smiled a bit bigger, answering, "Neji... yours?"

"Gaara."

Neji repeated his name. "Gaara..." (_Why did my heart just pound?_) "I like it."

Gaara faintly smiled again, letting his eyes drift downward. Usually when people gave him compliments, he didn't give a shit and would either ignore it completely or mumble a flat 'thanks.' Somehow, just saying he liked his name made Gaara feel... odd.

His cellphone beeped. It was his five-minute alert ring. Did he really spend three minutes just staring at this kid? Gaara shook his head briefly before putting the bag's strap on his shoulder.

"We should go," he informed Neji, standing up from the table. He waited for the brunet to stand. He didn't.

"I'm supposed to go home... I don't want to. I can't stay in the school though either," Neji explained, pulling his bag onto his lap to cradle.

xoxo

"Stay here until lunch."

Neji was shocked. He was being invited to stay somewhere safe, plus have someone to be with for the most part, even if Gaara didn't seem like thrilling company. He stammered, "Ar-are you sure? I don't want to bother you, or anything."

Gaara's eyes turned from blank to annoyed. He furrowed his non-existent eyebrows. "I don't own this place, stay if you want," he snapped. The redhead turned around and walked out of the clearing, leaving a very confused Neji behind.

xoxo

_Why did I say that?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: And there's the third chapter. So, it didn't move too much forward, but that's okay. The next chapter is longer, more Neji and Gaara interaction. As you can see, I switch back and forth from perspectives. It should be easy enough to tell who's in what perspective. Reviews would be nice.

Next update should be at the end of February or beginning of March. Busy college student doesn't have too much time to focus on fanfiction as much as she likes.


	4. Hole In The Earth

Hole In The Earth

Gaara watched the purple octopus dance with the orange starfish, spinning her like the wonderful lady she was. They swayed with one another in equal tempo, cradling one another like the only people in the room were themselves. They weren't alone though.

The pink seahorse grew jealous that the orange starfish had the purple octopus. The octopus was known to be quite a gentleman and kind-hearted. The pink seahorse tromped in rage. She deserved to be treated like a princess. Instead, she was stuck with the clown-fish that made fun of her tail and had poor manners while eating. It hurt her so to see the two sea creatures together, lost in their own world.

Then there was the red crab, hidden in the corner of the ball. He would gently spin himself around, imitating the actions the other sea creatures made. Neither starfish nor seahorse understood his loneliness. He too longed for a companion, yet he couldn't bring himself to find one. He was deathly afraid of expressing himself for he never understood himself most of the time. He evaded social situations, concerned only for himself. He couldn't bring himself to speak, to eat, to do anything in front of others. It was a dangerous matter to the poor, lonely crab.

As he watched the starfish and octopus pirouette, the seahorse mad and the clown fish joking, and all of the other creatures of the sea circle the ball, he felt hollow. Hollow like his shell.

A poke to Gaara's elbow pulled him out of his fantasy. He blinked a few times, realizing he had been staring at the Sea Life baby mobile on the ceiling of his parenting class. He looked around the room, noticing everyone's bored, lifeless faces as the teacher spoke about making a baby burp. It was apparent he was brought out of his fantasy for no reason whatsoever.

It irritated him when people did such stupid things. Unless it was something dire relating to Gaara's life, he wasn't to be disturbed. Of all the times he'd ever want to talk to people, it'd be only to make that phrase a law. In fact, it'd be such a regarded law that if people broke it, he'd take it back to the old days and give out lashes as punishment. Not personally, of course. No need to sully the king's hands.

The king's hands. Yes, he'd be king of Sunaville, wearing a large, gold crown a top of his redhead mop, held on a pedestal to look down at his townsfolk. They live by his words, his demands, including his preservation of his personal fantasies that grab hold of him every few minutes. He drifts from realm to realm with no cohesive ending as his servants grow concerned with their king's glazed eyes. Someone has the guts to touch the king. They reach out to touch his elbow.

He's pulled out of his dream world to his disappointment, having to experience real life instead of walking among the figments of his imagination. He calls the guards to imprison the law-breaker. He cries that he has a family, he has children, he couldn't die. Gaara informs him that he will not die, but lashes will do the trick.

Come Friday afternoon, all the townsfolk are called to the arena to watch the lashing of law-breakers. Lined up one by one in chains and shackles, they're rudely prodded to the center of the stage. They're unchained and bound to a tiny stage. Their hands are tied above them to expose more flesh. They each receive ten lashes. Ten lashes for every time they've awaken the king from his daydreams. The pain would be riddled on their faces, anguish pouring from their mouths. The crowd would watch in horror as friends, family members, even neighbors were scorned-

The bell rang abruptly, jerking Gaara from his thoughts once more. He sighed in frustration. Once again, another perfectly good daydream was ripped away from him. Students around him stood up and jabbered their usual nonsense. Gaara held his eyes to his desk, waiting for their exit.

He felt bound down whenever he came out from his daydreams. When he dreamed, it was freedom. His world was everything he wanted from the way it was colored in rich jewel tones, to the architectural detailing resembling the Baroque-era full of extensive, fantastical ideals, and even the way people behaved. They were spontaneous, impulsive, exciting. They didn't sit around planning details of a risky move, they did it whether or not severe consequences fell upon them. Caution was thrown to the wind and thrills were brought into their arms. Then he'd been shaken away from his magical world to enter reality. Everything was simple, plain, boring. Fun was ordinary along with the personalities of the people he used to interact with.

Maybe it was the reason Gaara made nice with this 'Neji.' He was new territory, unexplored lands. He could be someone worth spending time with or a colossal waste of his time. He sighed, not wanting to think about it anymore, resigning to the exit of his parenting class.

xoxo

Neji flicked one of the glitter stars hanging off the tree branch. It spun around, glistening in the sunlight. He could admit that it was pretty, but it still seemed unnecessary.

The redhead boy, Gaara, he seemed very strange, but in a good way. Quiet, a bit intimidating, yet he looked vulnerable himself, as if he held a secret pain like Neji did from the world. It was a possibility. He was very thin and his eyes were devoid of life except when he looked at the completed tree. Neji saw a glint of happiness reside in them like all that mattered in that moment was that tree. Then when Neji interrupted him, it faded away just as fast.

"Stay here until lunch." That's what he told him. Neji appreciated the gesture, but when he asked if he was sure, the kid lashed out on him and scurried from the picnic area. What was up with that? He was nice at first, then when asked about it, he turns the table as if he hadn't proposed such a thing. Kindness was not a trait of the redhead.

Neji sighed, hearing his stomach growl. He hadn't ate enough for breakfast since he was being tended to by Hinata for that boot hit. At the same time, he was trying to fight down the urge to go after his dad, distracting him from the french toast on the table. Now since he couldn't be in the school, he wouldn't even be able to have lunch. He groaned to himself, taking a place on the picnic table. His stomach was going to consume itself by the time he returned home. While eating properly was rare, even a scrap of food would satiate the stomach at a time like this.

The brunet stared at the sky for a moment. The clouds were small and scattered instead of large and fluffy like the previous day. Sometimes he liked it like that. Small clouds were underrated.

xoxo

Gaara fiddled with the hem of his sweater, waiting for his math class to end. Everything dragged so much longer than usual. He shut his eyes and tried to let his mind drift again. Back to the lonely, red crab, watching the ball.

Ah, yes, the lonely, red crab in the dark corner of the room. Everyone was so full of bliss and happiness. They had no idea how the crab felt. They didn't care. Why should they? He wasn't anything special.

But who's this? A light colored fish swam into the entrance of the ball. The others paused their dance to look at the newcomer. He was an angelfish, pure white with the slightest tint of lavender. He gracefully swam across the dance floor, gaining strange looks from the other attendees. He didn't stop at the dance floor like they had expected. He continued his path towards the lonely red crab. The crab didn't notice his arrival specifically as he continued to dance by himself, spinning round.

The angelfish placed his fin on his back, pausing the crab's solo dance routine. The crab spun around in surprise that someone approached him. The angelfish placed his hand on the crab's head, asking if he may dance with the crab. The lonely red crab was astounded that someone wanted to dance... with him? He nodded, placing his claw into the angel fish's fin. He led the crab to the floor-

The bell rang, causing Gaara's fish tale to fizzle out of his head. The redhead felt himself blush at realization of his daydream. Introversion had its downfalls.

xoxo

_Breathe in. Breathe out_.

Neji was nervous. He looked at his watch and saw it was lunch time, meaning the boy would be coming by. He hadn't even explained what Neji would end up having to do after lunch. Neji assumed it was sit in the forest and wait for the redhead to visit again, or walk home and say they got out early. _That wouldn't work though. Hinata would have to be there with me_, he thought.

Shutting his eyes, he tried to think of other things to distract him. He had already completed his history class work, read the first few chapters of _Lolita_, and doodled in his notebook. It was bothersome to not have anything else to do. He hoped that the redhead would have some ideas to remedy the situation.

He sighed and laid down on the picnic bench, dropping one leg to the floor. Maybe a nap would do him some good? _Yeah, a nap sounds nice_, he thought. He shifted his body around until he found a comfortable position and let himself drift away to his best abilities.

xoxo

Gaara stared down at the unconscious body sprawled over the picnic bench. Neji had a trail of drool running down his cheek, breathing lightly. The redhead pressed his lips into straight line, unsure whether to wake the boy from his slumber or keep watching him sleep.

The redhead didn't mean it to be creepy when he watched people sleep. It was something both fascinating and frightening to see someone sleep. Sleep is supposed to be something to recharge the human body. They're completely relaxed and vacant from their daily stresses. Peace read across most people's faces as they let their bodies succumb to slumber. It was amazing to see the harshest face fade into a soft expression. At the same time, sleep could be misconstrued with death. A dead body is just as numb, except paler. They're contorted from however their death method and usually only register a blankness to their face. They weren't alive to experience the peace, they just were. It was scary to see someone sleep and think-

The thought was shoved aside as Gaara reached for the brunet. He gave him a quick shake of his shoulder, hoping for a reaction. Neji mumbled something before continuing his sleep. Gaara rolled his eyes and gave him another shake, only a little rougher. He responded immediately, throwing his arms up, and falling off the bench. The redhead bit his lip to stifle the possible giggle. Neji was clearly awake now, probably wondering why he was laying on the ground instead of on the bench.

"You fell," Gaara supplied the answer. He took a place on the table top and reached for the cannoli on his lunch tray. He took a bite, allowing the sugar tantalize his tongue. _Why are sweets so amazing?_, he thought, taking another bite. Neji stood up at some point and wiped at his clothing, getting off any other pieces of dirt from his body. He looked at the table then to Gaara. Gaara rolled his eyes again. "Sit. Eat."

Neji took his place on the table top with the boy at the other end of the table and asked, "Isn't that your food?"

Gaara nodded, staring at the stars.

"Why would you offer me it?"

Gaara shrugged and asked, "Aren't you hungry?"

Before he could answer, Neji's stomach let out a loud rumble. Gaara gave a tiny smirk and looked at him. The brunet tried not to blush, but failed miserably. Gaara pushed the tray towards him, taking another bite of his cannoli. Neji shook his head. "I couldn't. You're probably hungry too."

The redhead shook his head. "Only eat sweets," he explained, holding up the cannoli to emphasize his point. He gave one more push to the tray, saying, "Eat." Neji looked uncomfortable with the matter, but took the tray. He held up the burger to his mouth and took a big bite. Gaara looked away. He hated watching people eat. It reminded him of the disgusting way humans had to eat. Saliva, mastication, more saliva, mush, more saliva, swallow. It'd just be easier to eat mashed potatoes or soup. _At least that's a liquid_, he thought.

Why was eating so horrible? It was grinding soft solids into slop that you had to swallow. He'd rather an IV of the basic nutritional needs of it meant not having to experience eating. While he liked his cannoli, he knew it was just because of the icing. He didn't have to chew it, his mouth's heat would melt it, making it easy to swallow. It was the cone that was harder and thicker, making it feel like sugar-covered cardboard. All the things he'd do to never have to chew, it was limitless.

Neji must of noticed the disgusting facial expression Gaara been making thinking of eating when he asked, "I'm not grossing you out with the way I'm eating, am I?"

Gaara shook his head and looked at the tray. The vegetables were half gone, the banana was half consumed, and when Gaara looked up at Neji, all that was left of the hamburger was small quarter that he held between his fingers. The redhead raised his invisible eyebrow, unsure if he really had consumed all that food in less than a few minutes.

Neji frowned at Gaara's stare of his tray and explained, "I don't eat... much."

The redhead replied, "Neither do I."

"Do you... choose to not eat or you can't?" Neji stammered with soft eyes towards Gaara.

Gaara felt odd once again to have the attention on himself. It was sort of frustrating. It also wasn't Neji's business how he ate. He grunted, "Both," and shoved the rest of the cannoli into his mouth so he wouldn't have to answer anything else.

The brunet mumbled an "oh," before popping the last part of the burger in his mouth. They chewed their food in silence, staring at the stars in the trees.

xoxo

_Now I think I understand why he wanted these stars_, Neji thought. It was more distracting than Neji originally thought it'd be. At the same time, it gave Gaara an excuse not to talk to him. The way his eyes followed the twirling stars, he was captivated by the paper ornaments. Maybe it was Gaara's way of putting himself in a trance. Hypnotism is a source of psychological tricking to remove one's self from the present. Their minds were put on neutral, awaiting a command of some sort. Possibly can be treated as a mental reboot button. Maybe that's what the redhead was doing, trying to reboot his mind. That would be silly though. Paper ornaments, no matter how glittery, couldn't substitute a basic hypnotizing tool. It doesn't hurt to try though.

Neji pulled his eyes from the tree and stole a glance at Gaara. He was very skinny, even for a short teenager. He had admitted that he doesn't eat, out of his own choice and out of force. Or at least Neji interpreted it that way. He had the signs of being abused if possible. Frail and thin, empty eyes, paled skin, hardly ate, hardly spoke for that matter. While it wasn't a good predicament for either Neji or Gaara, Neji was glad that he found a companion who possibly understood his plight of a dysfunctional family life. It was almost like having a kindred spirit, even if he wasn't very kind.

_That'd be understandable. Years of abuse can really lower trust levels among strangers_, he thought. He remembered when he was ten when the alcohol-induced beatings started. A few months after, he still had trouble being around adults that he used to trust because he kept thinking of his father's quick change. What prevented his teachers or neighbors from taking an 180 and treating him different? Absolutely nothing but their will.

He finished the banana on his tray, scooting a bit closer to the redhead who continued to space out. Neji pouted, a bit insulted that the redhead invited him to stay in the picnic area for him, but didn't pay him the slightest attention other to eat his food. He knew he had to appreciate the gesture, but isn't it common courtesy to at least talk? Just in the slightest? Neji wouldn't verbalize that thought though. He'd didn't want to piss off the only companion he made that seems to share a common ground with him. If he could call Gaara a 'companion.'

"I'm skipping today."

Neji blinked, registering that the redhead had actually said something. He looked towards Gaara. He hopped off the picnic table, stretching his arms above his head. "What about your classes?" Neji asked.

Gaara pulled his arms down and replied, "So?"

"You really don't care?"

"No."

"Don't you think anyone will notice?"

"No."

"Aren't you going to get in trouble?"

Gaara looked at Neji and asked, "Are you?" Neji stiffened at the redhead's harsh tone. He wasn't sure how he could go from uncaring to serious in so few words. The redhead shrugged off Neji's reaction, mumbling, "I want to show you something." Neji tilted his head in confusion. This kid had to be bipolar or something. Uncaring to serious to nice once more? Something was up.

"What is it?"

"I'm not telling," answered the redhead, turning around and walking to the pathway that lead to the other picnic areas. He stopped just before it and said, "Follow or stay."

Neji followed. He didn't want to be by himself until the end of the day, but he had no idea what Gaara was going to "show" him. It couldn't be anything bad per se. The only thing in the forest were animals, plants, and dead animals and plants. Maybe he was going to show Neji something creepy like a dead deer. Or maybe he was going to DO something to Neji.

He gulped, and tried to joke, "You're not taking me into the woods to have your way with me, right?"

Gaara didn't stop walking, but turned his head enough to look at Neji. "...maybe," he stated.

Neji felt a shiver go up his spine. He assumed the redhead was joking like earlier, but reminded himself that he was taller than the boy, he could take him if he had to.

"Do you like to make people uncomfortable?"

Gaara turned his head once more and replied, "At times..."

"Why?"

The redhead reached some bushes and paused. He pushed them out of the way and gestured Neji to walk through them. Neji did so, waiting for Gaara to walk through also. He stood beside Neji, murmuring, "People hurt."

People hurt. That was one of the things Hinata said when their abuse started. Unintentionally, people would say things that reflected Hinata and Neji's pains.

'_You look so skinny, have you been eating?_' Of course, we have fast metabolisms.

'_Your youngest sister is very tiny for her age._' She was born premature, that's all.

'_What's with that bruise? Rough housing? You know you shouldn't hit girls_.' I know, but Hinata annoyed me. I won't do it again.

It was the beginning of their downfall of lies back in Konoha. They could have also easily supplemented their injuries from getting jumped. They hadn't lived in a nice area to begin with. It also helped explain why Neji and Hinata walked into middle school with no lunch. Out of pity, the teachers would give them parts of their lunches. They were surprised the way they wolfed it down, but did nothing. One day, Hinata lashed out at someone at school and got in trouble. When Neji asked why she did it, she replied, "People hurt...

"So, you hurt them first," Neji unintentionally finished. Gaara snapped his head towards Neji, possibly shocked that he guessed why. Neji tried to hold onto the sea, seeing the waves in his eyes crashing together, but Gaara looked to the ground.

"Yes," he mumbled, walking forward down a jagged pathway through some dead trees.

Neji frowned, but followed Gaara through. The forest seemed to grow denser with every pathway they took. At some point, it felt like they were walking in pitch dark. Neji sped up his walk and asked, "Do you even know where you're going?"

"Yes," was the response. Neji sighed, trying to take in the view, but there wasn't one. Just trunk after trunk of dead trees with tangled limbs above them. Rocks jutted from the ground, causing him to trip every so often. Neji would have turned tail if he knew the landscape. It seemed like an endless trail they were following and only Gaara knew the way.

They remained silent as they pressed through the last few feet of dense forest. Gaara stopped at almost a curtain of down-falling vines from a high tree branch. It blocked most of the pathway like it was a curtain. Gaara reached his hands around a part and said, "We're here." He pulled it back and stepped through it and held it open for Neji to walk through.

Neji's patience was wearing thin from the stupid walk, so he hoped whatever was behind the vines was worth the trip. He stepped through and looked up to see another large clearing, surrounded by tall trees. There was a rusty gate in the center with a heavy chain wrapped around. Neji wasn't able to make out what sat behind the gate before his arm was grabbed by the smaller teen.

Gaara tugged him to the gate, stepping through piles of dead leaves. Neji gulped. He wasn't sure if they were supposed to be in a place like this. There was a lock for Christ's sake. Heavy chains and locks usually means 'keep out.' When they reached the gate, he peered through the open gaps. He saw metal statues that looked sort of like, animals? He looked down to see the redhead messing with the lock, giving it a few hard shakes before it opened. He handled the lock and tossed it to the side. He started to unwind the chain from the gate when Neji asked, "Are we supposed to be here?"

"No."

"Then why are we?"

"Because."

"Shouldn't we leave something like this alone?"

Gaara looked up from the chains to Neji and asked, "Are you always so scared?"

Neji frowned and rubbed his hands together. "I'm not scared... I'm cautious."

The redhead didn't blink when he stated, "You're a coward."

The brunet got a bit mad at Gaara's assumption. "I'm not a coward. Just because I don't want to get in trouble doesn't mean I'm scared. It's just a clearing with a gate," he explained, waving his hand at the rusty entrance.

Of course, he wasn't scared... of the place itself. He honestly didn't want to get in trouble for something ridiculous like breaking into some random place. The police were the last people he needed to be confronted by. That was what he was scared of. The questioning of various things: his weight, the bruises, or why his father was slurring on the phone. The place? Not at all.

"Then stop whining and help," the smaller teen demanded, handing an end of the chain to Neji. He growled at the redhead's command, but took it. Who did the kid think he was? Making assumptions of his character and treating him like some servant? He could at least ask 'please.' He unwrapped the chain from the bars and dropped it onto the ground. Gaara did the same with the other side. Once the gates were free, he pushed the gates open.

"Welcome to the Majestic Forest," Gaara dryly greeted Neji, motioning him to step inside.

Neji stepped forward, able to see the metal statues up close. They were animals, mainly bears in different positions towering at seven feet. They had hollowed out stomachs that were small enough for kids to stand inside. They were spread out along the clearing.

He walked over to the nearest one and ran his hand over part of it. "So, what exactly is this 'Majestic Forest?' " He asked.

Gaara pulled his sleeves over his hands, saying, "Used to be a play place for the kids."

"What's so fun about giant bears?"

"It was supposed to encourage kids to use their imagination with interactive play pieces instead of relying on typical rides," he explained.

Neji was surprised that Gaara willingly said more than six words to him in one sentence. Then again, he DID ask what this weird, animal place was. He walked around the statue, looking at the metal plating, then peeked aside to see the empty cavern in the bear's stomach. Inside was an old wooden bench, then a ladder that lead up to a hole on top of the bear's head. Why would there be a hole there?

Gaara read his mind once more. "There used to be a tiny platform that kids could sit on. Usually, the kids brought binoculars so they can look around."

Neji stepped away from the bear, briefly looking at the other bears he could make out. One was on all fours walking, another was on it's haunches holding a fish above it's head, and another was on it's back with a baby cub on it's stomach. It was sort of endearing to imagine kids playing inside of the bears.

"So, how do you know so much about this place?" Neji asked, walking towards a large, odd-looking tree with a hollowed out trunk.

Gaara stepped along side of him and grabbed Neji's wrist, ignoring Neji's question. He sped up his walk, tugging the brunet along for the ride. When they reached the tree, Gaara pushed him inside. Neji stumbled, but gained his footing. He looked around to see the dark walls of the trunk and silver handles attached to one side of the tree leading up to the top.

"What's a ladder doing here?" Neji asked. He was once again ignored when Gaara started to climb up the ladder. He didn't look back once at Neji, going higher and higher. Neji felt a bit nervous. It looked old, the handles could snap. "Are you sure you should be climbing?" He asked.

Gaara turned his head and asked, "Are you sure you're not scared?"

Neji pressed his eyebrows together in frustration. "I'm not scared."

"Then climb."

_God, this kid is annoying_, he thought, but followed him. He carefully wrapped his hands around the bars, trying to jiggle it to make sure they were sturdy. When he made sure they were, he started to climb up at a fast pace. He didn't want to stay on them longer than necessary. When he reached the top of the ladder, he saw Gaara crouching outside of a hole Neji didn't even notice was there. He reached his hand out for Neji to take. Neji frowned, but took it, pulling himself out from the trunk of the tree. The two sat on a tiny wooden ledge that appeared to wrap around the trunk. They could see the bears from atop of the ledge.

Neji was still confused on how the redhead knew of this deserted place. He probably wouldn't answer him, but he asked once more, "So, how do you know this place?"

"Read the town history books. It's mentioned in them," Gaara answered, staring down at the bear statue that was fighting with another bear.

"Then how did you figure out where this place is? It's pretty secluded."

Gaara shrugged. "A map. Memorized it."

Neji shifted on the ledge, a bit uncomfortable with the width of it. It was clear it was made for little kids because there wasn't much rear allowance to sit. However, Gaara and Neji were thin, but still had adult-like bodies, only providing a few inches of solid sitting room. He scanned over the land. The bears appeared smaller from the height. He counted ten of them spread out over the small area. He even saw legitimate play pieces like monkey bars and jungle gyms along the edge of the clearing. It must of been a really fun place to be.

"I assume people don't come here anymore?" Neji asked.

Gaara pulled a knee his his chest and replied, "Shut down in '73. Kids wanted actual rides. Stopped showing up."

Neji looked over the clearing. He kind of felt bad that a place like this was closed. It was true, kids these days relied more on television and other machines to be entertained rather than use their imagination to think of fun stuff. The moment kids find the tv or a handheld device, the imaginations seem to drift away. _It would be nice to see Hanabi play in a place like this_, he thought. _She could probably find something fun to do with the crazy looking bears. Like pretending she was a bear herself, romping around the forest._

While it felt nice to be shown this deserted land, Neji was curious. "Why did you bring me here?"

Gaara didn't say anything for a few seconds. He just stared down at the metal bear in silence. Neji rolled his eyes. He hated being ignored. It was just as bad as when the redhead made assumptions about his character. Gaara slowly stood up, pressing his feet closer to the tree trunk. Neji raised an eyebrow, unsure of his next actions. He continued to ignore the question and gave Neji a look that read 'follow me.' Neji wasn't sure when he turned into such a follower, but he did as the silent action told him to. He stood up cautiously, bringing his feet as close to the trunk as he could.

The redhead walked one foot in front of the other around the ledge until they reached the side of the tree. A small bridge was constructed, connecting to a hole on the opposing tree. Gaara was about to step on it when Neji touched his arm.

xoxo

Gaara instinctively tore his arm from Neji, a bit wigged at the physical contact he hadn't started. When he looked up at the brunet, he looked surprised at Gaara's sudden movement. He opened his mouth and Gaara cut him off.

"What?" He asked.

Neji gave a small frown, asking, "Is that bridge safe?"

The redhead almost groaned at his question. Everything that has left the guy's mouth has been concerns. Was it so hard to just to do something carelessly? Apparently so.

"Yes. I've crossed it before," Gaara slowly explained before turning back around. He stepped onto it, listening to the squeaks in the old wood. _Just because its old doesn't mean it's dangerous. It has character_. He walked across, hearing the extra squeaks of Neji walking behind him. After five seconds, they reached the big hole in the tree.

Gaara read about the hole. It was called a "tunnel" before since that was what it was supposed to be, but the tree wasn't wide enough to make it longer, so it was more of a tall hole where you stood before participating in the next part of the Majestic Forest 'Airways': the glider. It has a forty foot line double wire connecting to the opposing tree's "tunnel" at a fifteen degree angle. You'd hold onto the glider handles which had wheels attached to the wires for a smooth glide across.

The first time he laid eyes on the glider, he wanted to do it. As much as he liked being careless and doing things for the sake of doing them, the glider was something he opted out of without an extra eye. He didn't care if he had to go to the hospital for broken bones, he just wanted someone who'd be able to call 911 if he was knocked out cold. And now he had that extra eye.

Neji tried to get a look at the glider from the cramped 'tunnel.' "Is that a zip line?" He asked, taking a peek over Gaara's shoulder.

"Yeah," Gaara answered, tugging at his sweater sleeve.

"Are you actually considering going on this thing?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"...it looks fun," Gaara replied, becoming annoyed at Neji's constant questioning. Perhaps he took the wrong person with him to the Majestic Forest. However, he was already here and the zip line was calling out to Gaara to go on.

"It's old. Those wires could snap," Neji continued to nag.

"There's a one-fifty pound limit. I'm light enough." Gaara turned his head to Neji, taking a quick glance over his body. The navy shirt clung to his chest, showing off the faint remnants of his ribcage. He looked down to his hands with clung to the strap of his messenger bag. They were the tiniest vein-y and just a bit bony. Neji had admitted that he didn't eat much himself, so it was understandable to be bony.

"You look like you could too. How much do you weigh?" Gaara asked, almost shocking himself when he asked such a question. He usually never cared about other people, but then again, for the sake of zip line ride, he didn't want someone heavy to pull it down.

"Oh..." Neji started, a bit off put. His face faltered a bit as he replied, "A hundred-eight last time I checked." He rubbed his hands together which Gaara assumed was a nervous habit. "I'm five-six, so, I'm underweight technically."

Gaara nodded, quietly adding, "I'm ninety pounds. Five-one." Gaara was surprised how easily he turned from well-nourished to scrawny in three years just by cutting out everything but sweets. He did have the advantage of being a premature baby which made him smaller naturally, but he didn't think not eating would affect him so severely. Not like it made a difference in his day to day life. He lived it the same, ignoring everyone and getting lost in his head, just with an occasional hunger pang.

Neji widened his eyes, stating, "Wow. That sounds so unhealthy."

The redhead flashed back to the nagging of his sister who calls him 'unhealthy' all the time. The last thing he wanted was stupid statements from some other skeleton.

"Who are you to talk?" Gaara snapped, making it clear he didn't want comments from the peanut gallery.

Neji looked taken aback for a moment before furrowing his eyes. Instead of taking off or snapping back at Gaara, he asked, "When did you start not eating?"

Gaara felt the wave of awareness through him. He didn't want the attention on him, he just wanted to go on the zip line already. The only way that was going to happen though was if he was to play nice with Neji.

"Freshman year," he replied.

"That's sort of impressive considering guidance counselors could take one look at you and say you have issues."

Gaara had almost laughed out loud. The thought of adults or anyone concerning his well-being was hysterical. He gave a small smirk, claiming, "Believe me, guidance have no say in my life... what about you?"

"Sixth grade," Neji stated, sounding sadder than Gaara's response.

"I would have thought you'd be smaller."

"It was a gradual process. Less food every year until now when it's just enough to get by. At the end of this year, I'll probably be a skeleton," Neji informed him, absently running one of his hands over his ribs.

Gaara caught sight of them, the way they protruded from the cotton layer. He could count two faint rows along the bottom of his ribcage. It was interesting to look at. Besides himself, he never seen someone with a similar body type to his. It was intriguing to see what his body might have looked like from the outside. To be able to count the bones jutting out. He bet that he could see more if the shirt didn't stand in the way.

He might have stared too long when Neji tugged his jacket over his chest, looking away from Gaara. The redhead stepped up to him, hand extending towards him. Neji slunk back a bit, probably unaware of what Gaara was going to do.

Gaara stared up at Neji, feeling himself being pulled in by the Moons. How they stared down at the redhead with a curious wonder, radiating a soft glow that seemed only viewable by ones close to the brunet. (_When_ did _I get so close_?)

xoxo

Neji looked down at Gaara, watching the tide in his eyes ebb on and off the shore of his pupils. It was peaceful to see the water at work, changing hues depending on it's depth.

He felt a cold hand slip under his shirt and the soft question, "Can I see them?"

The brunet snapped back to reality, seeing the redhead pulling up Neji's shirt. Neji put his hand over the hem of his own shirt, pulling it back down. He had bruises from his father's attack the previous day, there was no need for Gaara to see them and ask questions.

Gaara gave him a strange look, but withdrew his hand. "What is it?," he asked, tilting his head.

Neji sheepishly rubbed his hands together, looking at the walls of the tree trunk. He admitted, "I... have marks. I don't want you to see them."

The redhead gave him an unimpressed stare, stating, "You're scared of me seeing them."

"I said I don't want you to see them. I'm not scared to show you!"

Gaara smirked at Neji's statement and mumbled, "I doubt it's as bad as this..." He started to turn around, arms crossing over one another to grab the bottom of his sweater. When his back was to Neji, he pulled up the gray sweater, showing the bottom of his black t-shirt. The redhead's fingers groped for the hem of that shirt and pulled it upward, exposing his pale back.

Neji stared at what could have been the biggest advocate example of child abuse. A large healed scar shaped almost like a block sat on his back, along with two raised lesions of skin that looked like had been in stitches previously. Besides the mark, Neji was shocked by the way Gaara's spine practically rolled under the block, making the scar even more twisted. Neji never felt more guilty for eating someone else's food. It was obvious the redhead needed it more than Neji.

His eyes fell down to the ribcage that also played under the flesh. Neji may have had two rows of clear ribs, but Gaara had three and two more faint rows off his back. It was sort of nauseating to look at. He could be the poster child for negligence and starvation.

Gaara dropped the shirt and sweater, adjusting it back into place. He turned back to Neji and asked, "Yours aren't as bad now, are they?"

Neji thought of the yellow and green bruises along with the fresh red one that decorated his abdomen. They were miniscule compared to Gaara's back. Instead of answering his question, the brunette took a gulp and asked, "How'd you get that?"

"Got pushed towards the fireplace. Tripped before reaching it, scraping my back off the edge. It was stone."

It surprised Neji how clinical Gaara said it. Most kids who tell stories like that have some form of emotion that follows it. Gaara, he recited it as if it he read it from a book. _Maybe he's more messed up than I am_, he thought.

Gaara stepped towards Neji once more, fingertips dancing at the hem of Neji's shirt. He slipped them under the shirt, feeling for the brunet's ribcage. He stiffened at the contact of his ice cold hands, but adjusted once they found their destination. The redhead didn't look up at Neji as he caressed the bones. Neji was glad because he was sure his face was pink. It had been a while since he was touched in such a way, even if Gaara wasn't doing it to be suggestive.

He felt the redhead's small fingers glide between the spaces in his ribs, then dipping down to run over the ridges, and running back up again. They traced the underside of the cage before settling his whole hand on top of the stacked bones. His hands were so gentle despite the harsh behavior he portrayed to Neji. He almost wanted to close his eyes. It just felt nice to have such a reassuring touch to his body instead of a punch or a kick. His nerves practically danced under the redhead's small hands. He wished the comfort would never end, wanting to get lost in the sensation of light caresses.

He did for a bit, barely making out the redhead's soft words. "I think you're light enough." _Wait, what_?

Gaara pulled his hands from under Neji's shirt, reaching into his back pocket. He pulled out his gray cellphone, sticking it into Neji's hand. He turned off and grabbed hold of the handles, saying, "If I fall, call 911," before letting himself skim across the wires.

xoxo

The bones felt great under Gaara's hands. It was a shame that the brunet was too stubborn to let him lift his shirt so he could see the ribs in their true nature. Instead, he had to feel them out and imagine what they'd look like in his head. They were thick, strong, but the flesh stretched across was thin and brittle. Sometimes Gaara wondered why genetics even bothered to place skin over the ribs. A cut half an inch deep could penetrate the bones with ease.

Gaara wasn't sure if it was him or his sick, twisted mind, but there was something about bones that always made him tick. Even before he started his restricted diet, he'd see the taunt bones that stuck out from his parent's wrist. It was fascinating to see how the bone maneuvered beneath the skin. It was mechanical, but natural. Every bone has a position to fulfill and they did that job. Now Gaara had a handful of ribs, enjoying the way they stretched out for Neji to inhale and how they pulled back when he exhaled.

At the same time, there was something addicting to the proximity of Neji. His hands petted his ribs in curiosity, but being so close to the boy, it was heart-pounding for some reason. It had been a long time since Gaara had physical contact with someone, usually escaping the wraiths of Temari's sisterly hugs. Perhaps it was just the rush of feelings he once experienced in a past life. He had almost forgotten how warm people's bodies where. Neji's ribs felt on fire which made him want to touch them more aggressively.

However, there was a point in bringing the boy to the Majestic Forest, for letting him into Gaara's secret realm where reality truly met fantasy. He wanted to take the miniature zip line to further his exploration of the play land and needed the extra eye in case he was out like a light upon falling to the ground. No matter how independent and spontaneous he was, sometimes rationality had to make way for function.

"I think you're light enough," he murmured to Neji's chest, pulling his hands away.

He didn't bother to look up at Neji's face which he assumed was a mixture of confusion and worry. He reached into his pocket to pull out his cellphone and tucked it into Neji's hand. Gaara turned to the metal bars and grabbed hold of them, making sure his grip was tight enough. In the past, there was a safety net at the bottom of the zip line just in case, but now, it was just a thirty foot drop to the ground. It made Gaara's heart pound harder knowing he could easily break a bone if he fell the wrong (right) way.

Gaara told Neji, "If I fall, call 911," and pushed himself off the ledge.

Immediately, the wires dipped from Gaara's weight, jiggling the handles, but he skimmed across, looking around to see metal bears zipping by below him. He liked the feeling of the air whipping across his face and hair, and looking down to see the potential death hazards below him like a jagged rock or a lumpy tree stump.

He loved the feeling of his heart bursting through his chest, his blood pulsing faster, the adrenaline just causing chaos inside of his body. It always made him feel truly alive. It may have been the only way he reminded himself that he wasn't a ghost, but a human.

Gaara lost himself to the feeling of flying in the air before realizing he was coming up to the tree. He readied his feet to land on the tiny platform that hung off the next 'tunnel.' The handle reached the end of the wire and jerked, flinging Gaara forward. He let go on the impact, landing square on the platform. His knees wobbled a little, but he stuck it. God, he wanted to do that again, but there was no way of returning to the other tree without restarting the course.

He sighed and reached for the pulley that brought the handle back to the starting point of the zip line. He unwrapped it from the ceiling and tugged the rope down. The handle slowly backed up with each pull until a minute later, Gaara got a hard stop from the rope. He knotted the rope back into place and leaned out of the tunnel, faintly making out Neji's shape.

He cupped his hands and yelled, "YOUR TURN!" Gaara turned his head and coughed, not used to being so loud. His voice probably cracked too. He tried to think of that cannoli he ate to salivate a bit as he waited for a response.

"NO!" Gaara heard.

He rolled his eyes, replying, "COWARD!"

Gaara imagined the pissed off look in Neji's face as his response. Neji didn't seem like the type who put up with people making fun of him. He waited for something along the lines of 'FUCK OFF' or 'AM NOT!' Instead, he saw the wires pull taunt. Gaara's eyes widened, surprised Neji actually took a chance on the zip line. He figured he'd just turn tail and wait on the ground for Gaara to finish up the course.

He backed up and waited for the boy to arrive onto the platform. Neji suddenly appeared, letting go of the handle, and landing on the spot. Unlike Gaara, he was tall enough that he didn't have to rely on the impact to swing him over. Gaara slightly resented it, but gave Neji a respective nod for actually doing it.

Neji looked pissed though. He rubbed his hands together and hissed, "_Don't_ call me a coward," before walking to the next part of the course.

xoxo

_Why did I freaking take the zip line? That was horrible! That thing could have snapped and I would have plummeted to my near death or just death. Fucking Gaara. I swear he purposely uses reverse psychology on me or something._

Neji groaned at his thoughts, stepping down the metal stairs that spiraled around the tree. Gaara remained a few steps behind, stopping every so often to stare at something. Neji would pause and look back at the redhead until he started to move again. He didn't understand his fascination to stare at every single little thing. Gaara really was an odd one.

They finally reached the end of the staircase which led to the next obstacle: a rope maze made of a giant tangle of ropes and plastic cords. They were twisted each and every way, making it harder to pull them apart and step (or crawl) through to reach the next part.

"Are we really doing this? It seems a bit childish," Neji asked, pulling at a cord.

Gaara asked, "'We'? Thought you were just following me."

Neji frowned, not liking the tone the redhead was using. It was almost snobby.

"Besides, it IS childish. It was a children's play place. Don't do it if you don't want to," Gaara added, stepping through the first tangles. He wedged his head through and started to pull his arms through when he quipped, "You're just mad because I'd beat you at it."

Neji really wasn't going to do it. He didn't want to. It looked ridiculous for two grown teenagers to be crawling through colorful ropes, but he challenged his pride. He may have to bow down to his father's whims, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let a redhead runt make a fool out of him. Besides, they were in the middle of a forest where nobody apparently seemed to be in for years. He could act like a kid if he wanted to.

He smirked and entered the tangle of ropes, saying, "We'll see about that."

"I'd like to see that," Gaara replied, untangling himself from a green rope that wrapped around his foot.

Several minutes of frustrated grunts, snapped cords, and quiet 'ouchs,' they collapsed out of the rope maze with Neji as the victor. He laid on the ground, staring at the tree tops, secretly celebrating in his head. Gaara laid down beside him, eyes on Neji instead.

Neji felt Gaara looking at him, but didn't want to acknowledge it. "Showed you, didn't I?"

"Sure."

"Sure? You're not the least bummed?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I did it for fun, you did it for competition."

Neji turned his head and met Gaara's eyes. "You were the one who challenged me."

"You could have said no," the redhead said, starting to stand up.

Neji furrowed his eyebrows, sitting up. "Then why did you-?"

"Because you found the competition fun," he said, wiping off the dirt from his sweater and jeans. "I'd challenge you again, but we broke most of it."

The brunet was confused by his motive. He purposely challenged Neji just so he basically didn't have to do it alone? Or did he want Neji to have fun himself instead of standing and watching? Gaara was a convoluted puzzle. Neji couldn't even decide whether to dignify Gaara's answer with a question or just shake the boy by his shoulders and ask what's his deal.

Neji opted for silence and stood up with Gaara, brushing off the leaves that got stuck to his butt. He waited for Gaara's next move, but he didn't move. He stood still and just stared at the bears. Neji was going to ask if there was another part when Gaara said, "We killed enough time. Let's go."

"What do you mean?"

"We're done here for now."

"For now?"

"Yes."

Neji faintly smiled to himself. Sure, Gaara was weird and space-y and rude, but the way he said it 'we're done here for now?' That surely meant he had a companion to be with instead of sitting with Sasuke and his loud friends during lunch.

"We're coming here again?" He asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Gaara pulled his sweater sleeves over his hands and looked to the ground. "I... There are more things to do... so, yes." He turned from Neji and started walking towards the gate, muttering 'follow or stay' again. Of course Neji followed. (He had no clue how to leave.)

They walked back to school in silence, separating ways at the picnic table. Neji was left with one hour to kill, so he shut his eyes and slept on the bench.

_Whatever, I still showed him._

xoxo

_They say the moon controls the sea, but sometimes I think it's the other way around._

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: And that's the end of chapter four. More things are to come as usual. I hope I'm maintaining a good flow of the story here. I know it's different, but different is good haha. It's very different than the original plot I had in mind, but that's okay. I'm starting to like this one better. Reviews are nice.

Next update will be sometime in March.


	5. Apple Orchard

Apple Orchard

"Hey, Gaara? What's up with the face?" Kankuro asked, pointing his wet spoon at Gaara's non-responsive head.

Gaara inwardly groaned at his brother's attempt to make conversation. He continued to stare at the wooden circles in the breakfast table's counter, waiting for the inevitable annoyance his brother would begin. Gaara made it his priority over the years to disregard almost every word that left Kankuro's mouth. Unlike Temari who nagged Gaara out of worry and care, Kankuro only spoke of stupid, vile, and annoying things. It didn't bug Gaara as much as the reaction after the things were said. Kankuro would throw his head back, laughing at his own joke, regardless of its comedic quality.

Kankuro stuck the spoon onto his little brother's head and said, "Look, you're spooning!"

_Three, two, one_...

He tossed his head back, throwing off the weird cat hood he always wore, laughing like he had said the funniest thing in the world. Temari gave a disinterested huff, poking at her own cereal. Gaara sighed and tilted his head, letting the spoon drop to the floor with a loud 'cling.'

Temari pulled her lips to the side, saying, "Gaara, you could have just put it on the table like a normal person." She awaited a movement from the redhead, but Gaara wasn't having it.

It was bothersome enough to deal with one sibling in the morning, having both was a nightmare. He didn't hate his siblings. He couldn't, but there were many times he wished they'd be like normal teenagers and respect his and each other's solitude. The times Kankuro busted into his room while he was changing or snuck into his room to steal his sweaters were endless. It was as if privacy was a foreign language to the two older siblings.

Temari rolled her eyes at Gaara's silence and leaned down to pick up the spoon. She tossed it across the table to Kankuro. "Here, Kankuro. Finish your food," she told him, picking up her own spoon again.

Gaara's eyes drifted over the spirals in the wood. He felt extra quiet today even though he always was this quiet. He was still reflecting a bit on the previous day with Neji. When he told the boy they'd come back to the forest, he saw a flicker of happiness in Neji's pale eyes. Gaara sort of felt weird when Neji actually confronted Gaara about returning to the forest. It'd been a long time since Gaara had human contact with someone besides his family.

_Maybe it's better off that way_, he thought, dragging the end of his spoon across one of the spirals. Gaara heaved a deep breath, pushed away his bowl of yogurt, and picked his backpack off the floor.

"Make sure you eat lunch today, okay, brat?" Kankuro called after him. Gaara ignored it. He'll eat when he wants to eat, not when told like a child. Temari repeated a similar phrase, earning a cold shoulder in response. It wasn't their business anyway.

xoxo

Neji was uncomfortable with the scene occurring in front of him. He was unsure whether or not he woke up from his slumber. It was too strange, too odd. But it was real, so real it felt surreal. Never in a million years did he expect to stumble across a situation like this again other than when he was younger. He stared at his father at the doorway of the kitchen, unable to register the scene.

He must have stared for too long when his father mumbled, "Sit boy."

Neji blinked and replied, "Yes, sir. Good morning, sir." His father remained silent, staring at his empty plate of food. Neji took the seat across his father, needing to see if it was as real as it seemed.

His father was sober. While it happened occasionally, that wasn't the only factor playing into the situation. His hair was actually brushed, letting his hair smooth over his shoulders, much like Neji's, and was tied in a low ponytail. The stench of alcohol was replaced with the scent of subtle cologne and soap, while his naked face showed his father took the time to shave. He wore a blue button up shirt without any rumples or creases. Neji assumed under the table, he donned slacks and his neglected nice shoes. It wasn't like Neji's father hadn't dressed up during his drunken period, but the extent of this transformation proved something else was up. He hadn't seen his father this well groomed since his accident.

Neji's father was an airplane pilot prior, flying planes from coast to coast, state to state. He never flew across seas since being near his family was a priority. He was regarded as a great pilot by the airplane company, while he was often told what a great guy he was by his co-workers, even if he had the tendency to get a bit too serious at times. That was the result of growing up, being compared to his brother and his achievements. Living in the shadow of your sibling could dampen your sense of personality.

One plane ride, a hijacker boarded with a gun and a knife. He took the passengers as hostages, and tried to get control of the airplane. The co-pilot tried to fight the man off, receiving a bullet to the gut. Neji's father put the plane on auto-pilot and took his turn. They exchanged punches and grapples before his father managed to get him to the ground. It wouldn't last long though. The man flipped over with the knife in his hand and slashed forward. His father leaned away as much as he could, but was inevitably sliced across his right eyeball. He fell to the ground in agony as the hijacker went to the main pilot seat. While the man tried to figure out how to get the plane off of auto-pilot, the co-pilot noticed his gun fell out of his jacket. He crawled towards it and pointed it towards the man. Bang.

The co-pilot managed to successfully take the plane down to the nearest airport where him and Neji's father were taken immediately treated. The co-pilot would heal fine from the shot that somehow shot through an empty spot in abdomen. Neji's father wasn't as lucky. The knife cut deep enough to significantly reduce his eyesight after the wound healed. He went from almost 20/20 to barely able to make out words in the newspaper. Upon hearing the results of his eye exam, the company released his father.

Thinking about it now, Neji figured they wouldn't be in their current living predicament if his father took a normal job. But his father didn't. He had too large of a pride to sink himself into low quality jobs like a grocer or janitor, but his new vision denied him of higher powered jobs. Anything that required extensive paperwork/reading or long distance driving was out of his reach. He ended up in a bad place, performing tasks in back alleys and seedy bars. He would deliver illegal substances, products, and documents for various people and groups that easily had the power to kill him if needed. It was activity that would be frowned about if discovered, but it was more exciting than bagging food.

It went down hill when he was caught by an opposing ring. Five men circled him and proceeded to give him a 'talk' about the things he's been delivering and explain that they wished for his possessions for free. His father's loyalty to his own ring and stubbornness made him refuse. A quick hobble to his left foot and a swift knee cap shatter left his father unable to perform any more requests for his ring. They dropped him off a hospital, gave him his last payment, and left a number to redirected phone line in case the men came after him again.

After a few months of healing, his father was left with a fucked up eye and a fucked up leg. If his chances at a job were slim because of his vision, it was almost near impossible to pick up a new job now. This was around the time when Neji was ten, wondering why his father seemed so sad and so angry at the same time. Neji, Hinata, and Hanabi would see him before they left school and when they came back, making them happy, but they had one question that plagued them. One day, Neji walked up to his father, unaware what being 'drunk' was and asked why he wasn't at work. The anger that flared up in his father's eyes sent a shiver up Neji's spine. A brown bottle made hard contact with Neji's arm, leaving glass scattered across the floor. That was the moment everything flipped from under his feet.

Then there's now, Neji witnessing this strange moment of his father looking perfectly normal across from him. Hinata shared an equally confused face beside Neji, while Hanabi blissfully played with her dollie, but acknowledged the change in their father's appearance.

His mother walked over to the table, placing three pancakes onto her father's plate. "Hizashi, maybe you should tell the kids what you're doing today," she softly suggested.

Hizashi stuck his fork into one of the pancakes and muttered, "Mayor wants to meet me today."

Neji felt a bit more confused now. Why would the mayor of the town want to see his father? They weren't even moved in a full week yet.

"The way the secretary explained it was that since he's the voice of the town to the state, he'd like to know who exactly he's speaking for," his mother explained, dropping one small pancake onto the kids' plates.

Hizashi groaned, "Like it really matters. I intend to come back as soon as possible. I don't need some guy prying into my business because he wants to be some good samaritan."

Neji hated when his father dimissed anyone with power. Just because he didn't have an important job (or a job in general) anymore didn't mean he had to be an ass to everyone else.

"I think that sounds nice, daddy," Hanabi chirped, waving her dollie around. Neji felt a pang in his heart. It was so twisted and pure the way she could still call him 'daddy' after all the shit he did to her. It sure wasn't anything like Stockholm, but it was saddening that she remained unmoved by his actions.

Hizashi grunted, not bothering to answer his daughter. Hanabi didn't seem to care as she continued to play with her dollie.

Growing tired with this strange and uncomfortable situation, Neji shoved the pancake into his mouth without syrup. He quickly chewed, sure that he was swallowing part of it in solid form. He grabbed his juice, took a swig, and let it help it go down his throat smooth. He stood up and put the dish in the sink, walked back to his seat, and picked up his backpack. Hinata saw his action and repeated since she was taking the bus with Neji today instead of walking.

Once she finished, they bid the rest of the family a good bye. They walked outside and stood outside of the nice next door house, exchanging sympathetic looks. It was odd to see their father in a state they hadn't seen in years. It left them feeling bittersweet, to see their father so normal, but couldn't choose to remain that way for at least Hanabi's sake. It was like looking in a mirror of their past life. They could see it, but they couldn't touch it, they couldn't experience it.

The bus pulled up to the curb and opened its door. Hinata stepped on first. Neji adjusted his bag strap and followed her. She took a seat near the front, leaving Neji to locate the redhead. Near the back, he could see the flash of fire poking out from the top. He walked up to the seat and sat down. Gaara didn't turn his head whatsoever.

Neji was about to say hello when Gaara said, "So that's what you look like if you were a girl." Neji blinked, not sure what he was talking about. Then he remembered Hinata actually took the bus. Gaara took a look at Neji and tilted his head. "The only difference is the length of your hair."

The brunet felt a bit peeved that Gaara essentially called him a girl, but before he could respond, he remembered something. Neji opened his bag and took out a small, gray phone.

"You forgot to get this back from me yesterday," he explained, holding it out. Gaara stared at it for a second before taking it.

"Thanks..." Gaara mumbled, staring at the small item.

_You're welcome, ungrateful little_- "Oh, somebody called yesterday. I didn't pick up, but I just thought you should know."

Gaara raised an eyebrow at the phone, then flipped it open. He pressed the 'last call' option and dialed. He pressed the phone to his ear, waiting for a response. At the same time, someone's phone went off on the bus. Neji looked through the aisle and saw the blonde boy who was sitting with the pink girl on his first day, fidgeting through his bookbag. He picked up the phone, saying, "Hello?"

A loud snap beside Neji made him turn to see Gaara with a closed phone. His eyes were pressed together, almost glaring at the piece of plastic.

"Who was it?" Neji asked, even though he had a vague idea who it was.

Gaara shoved the phone into his backpack, muttering, "Nobody important."

Neji turned his head and looked up the aisle again. The blonde boy stared at his open phone with a sad look. He closed it and looked back towards Neji, catching him staring. Neji looked away and focused on the seething redhead. _If it was no one important, why does that kid look disappointed? Or better yet, why did Gaara turn extra pissy?_

Neji figured his questions would remained unanswered and opted to riding the bus in silence since Gaara didn't seem to want to talk anyway. Not that he liked to talk in the first place.

xoxo

If there was anything Gaara disliked more than people, it was the people who were persistent with trying to interact with him. Gaara made it clear that he didn't want to be talked to, he didn't want to be bothered, he didn't even want to know that you're alive. Then there was the blond boy who constantly tried to pry into Gaara's life.

Was it so hard to take no as an answer? The redhead didn't want the blonde anywhere near him. It was bad enough they shared the same bus and same school. Just because they had that relevant connection didn't mean it gave the blond a free pass to bug Gaara whenever he wanted.

He spent years fending himself from the leech. That's what Gaara called him, a leech. He'd show up to try to suck out the life from Gaara, but every time, the redhead had a big set of pliers to rip him off by the skull. That was how you removed a tick, but it was just as effective with leeches.

Was there a sign on Gaara's back that said, '_All idiot blondes, please stalk me?_' If anything, the sign said, '_I could care less whether you exist or not_.' Apparently the blond didn't know how to read.

Now he had his cellphone number, most likely retrieved from bugging Kankuro long enough. Kankuro liked messing with Gaara and he knew about his leech, so he probably purposely gave the blond it. It was an innocent prank that could result in Gaara changing his phone number and not giving it to Kankuro or just murdering the blond.

When he explained his situation to Temari a few years ago, she claimed he wouldn't do anything. If he hadn't done anything before to Gaara, he wouldn't do anything now except try to talk to him. Gaara was still paranoid. What prevented the blond from cornering him in a part of school just to talk? Or discovering the way Gaara's been treating his body and holding the information over his head?

Gaara hated feeling stressed by a boy who hadn't been a part of his life in years. When Gaara said it was over, he meant it. The blond didn't understand this and continued to thrash through Gaara's walls, trying to find the redhead cowering inside. He couldn't stand it. It was relentless.

He pressed his hand over the cellphone in his backpack, wondering if the blond was looking back. He had to be. He always looked back.

xoxo

Neji took the books from Gaara's hands. Gaara didn't glance up at the brunet as he took the three books. Gaara turned back around and opened _Lolita_, briefly scanning the first page. Neji sighed, not sure why he hoped Gaara would say something to him. He put down a book on his desk and past the last two to Sasuke. The dark-haired boy took them, placed his on the desk, then threw it at the desk beside him, scaring Kiba whom been sleeping. Sasuke chuckled at his spazziness before opening to the first page.

Neji rolled his eyes and smiled briefly, opening his book himself. Today was going to be the first day of the new book, _Lolita_ by Vladmir Nabokov. Neji was actually excited to get started on it. The book was a classic, a controversial classic, but a classic nonetheless. Neji spent many years reading classics that never lived up to their hype.

_The Great Gatsby_ was full of elaborate character history and exquisite detailing that made you dream of expensive lives, but the plot seemed hollow. The dialogue was sufficient, but the book could not be applied to modern times in any way. The dilemmas the spoiled characters went through weren't as realistic as they could be. Or _Catcher In The Rye_, with Holden Caulfield as the supposed tortured teenager who appeared to be more like a whiny child instead of complex. It was hard to take his character seriously when he was a boy with a rich background. It was like he was purposely nitpicking just to find a reason to brood.

_Lolita_ may have been older than both the books, but it was almost a bit more believable than the two, to read about a man falling for his neighbor's daughter. His grip on the world was loose, much like Neji's. (Maybe like Gaara's.) The only thing he had to look forward to was his obsession, that girl that responded to his advances, whether positive or negative. It was a riveting tale from what he had read up to.

The only book that Neji felt connected to was _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_ by Stephen Chbosky. It described a great deal of his junior high years and his first high school year. His home life warped his perception of people, leading him to withdraw from activities and merely observe than participate. He had friends, but he was never much involved as he may have been when he was younger. It wasn't up until he read the book that he realized how withdrawn he'd been and how patient his friends had been with his behavior. Come sophomore year, Neji changed it around, leading to a lot of mistakes and experiences that he wouldn't take back for the world.

Maybe it wasn't relative to _Lolita_, but _Perks_ had a similar story of adoration towards a single person, with the exception of Humbert having the balls to go after what he wanted after removing anything in the way.

Neji turned his head to Gaara who wasn't looking in the book as much doodling in the corners of pages. Neji whispered, "What are you doing?"

Gaara jumped a bit, then replied, "Decorating."

"Do you decorate everything?"

"...just the plain things."

"Mr. Hyuga," the teacher called out. Neji's shoulders shot up to his ears in fright. Busted. "Is there something about the book that you wish to speak about?"

Neji turned around, sheepishly saying, "No, sir."

"What do you think of the first few chapters?" The teacher asked. Neji felt the eyes of other students on him. He tried to take a look at Gaara, but he was still zoomed in on the corners of his book.

Neji gulped and went into a brief explanation of how his obsession with Dolores was probably a product of his attachment to Annabel Leigh. The lingering memory of love drove him to a certain brink where he thought he'd never find another girl like her again. Mentally, his craving remained childlike, focused only on the former memory of Annabel rather than dealing with his life at hand, a handsome thirty or other, with many pursuers. The longing was his first taste of true love drove him the point of obsessing over pre-adolescent girls, trying to replace the one that escaped him.

The teacher seemed pleased with Neji's answer, warning him not to speak while he's speaking again. Neji was glad he read the first half of the book, otherwise he would have left a bad impression on the instructor. He wanted to remain a good student in everyone's eyes. He heard a snicker and turned his head to Sasuke.

Sasuke held a weird smirk and whispered, "You shouldn't talk to yourself." Neji furrowed his eyebrows and mouthed, 'What?' Sasuke shook his head and held a finger over his lips as a 'sh,' putting his head back into the book. What did he mean by that?

xoxo

Gaara stared at his cellphone placed in front of him at the picnic table. It was like the gray piece of crap was taunting him. If there was any more reason to be displeased with his phone, it would be because of Naruto. That annoying little blond with the inhumanly loud voice.

He was fine when he sent that mass text to Gaara because it wasn't personal. He wasn't trying to talk to Gaara, he was just sending a message to all of his contacts. It was an accident, but calling him? Physically calling him? Was the boy insane?

Naruto could have accidently "butt-dialed," or wanted to talk to Kankuro, but if he wanted that, he could have just called him himself. There was no need to put Gaara in the middle.

Gaara groaned, hating Naruto more and more. He didn't want the blond near him anymore. That was one part of his life and it should stay that way. They aren't friends, they aren't acquaintances, Gaara didn't even want to refer to him as a peer. He was supposed to be like air: Gaara knew he was there, but he didn't see him.

The redhead had already exceeded the limit of people he chose to interact with by one because of Neji, he didn't need Naruto to muck it up further.

"Freaking leech..." He murmured to the phone. Strangely enough, he hoped the phone would ring at that moment.

xoxo

Neji kept reminding himself he had his English book on the table as he walked up to the lunch line. The one thing he liked about this school was the cafeteria food options. It was ran similar to a buffet. You pay as you enter then grab as much as you want at the different sections. Neji loved all the options the school provided, but he had a tendency to eat with his eyes.

As he stepped up to the pot of mashed potatoes, a little dot of red appeared in his view. He looked to his left and saw Gaara reaching for one of the ladles, dumping a tiny portion on his plate. He turned to go to another section when Neji called out, "Gaara."

The redhead paused and turned his head. He stared at Neji with his blank eyes, muttering, "Oh, you."

Neji pressed his lips to the side and swallowed his annoyance with the boy's greeting. "So, what do you think of the book so far?" He asked.

Gaara looked down at his tray and replied, "I've read it already." He turned towards the fruit section with Neji on his heels.

"I've read half the book, never got to finish it. I'm glad it's something I actually like instead of some boring, classic like _A Tale Of Two Cities_," Neji said, grabbing a cup of diced pineapple.

The redhead reached for a small container of applesauce, flatly replying, "I agree." He turned to the dessert bar and grabbed the largest cupcake.

Neji stole a glance at Gaara's tray. A spoonful of mashed potatoes, the small cup of apple sauce, and a single chicken nugget beside the big cupcake. The big cupcake was the largest serving on the plate. Neji felt his stomach clench looking at his serving. He really should eat more than just that. _Who eats a single nugget_?

Gaara must have caught Neji staring when he yanked his tray from Neji's sight. He practically hissed, "Be concerned with your own food," and walked to the refrigerators. The brunet sighed at his faux pas and followed the boy.

Neji reached over Gaara's shoulder to grab a carton of milk. The redhead glared up at the brunette before taking a strawberry carton. Neji asked, "Can I sit with you again?"

"Do what you want," he said with a tone of voice that made it clear he didn't want Neji near him. However, he said do what he wanted, so Neji would deal with the redhead's attitude so he could sit with him.

Neji still wasn't sure why he wanted to stay with Gaara so bad compared to Sasuke and his friends. Unlike Gaara, they actually asked him questions and listened to him talk on the first day, even if was only for a few minutes before discussing the summer transformations. At the same time, they weren't anything like his old friends from Konoha. They were active in their own right, but being obnoxious in a town seemed lame compared to a city where you had to speak loud just to be heard.

Then Neji thought about the day before, the kindred-ship he felt with the redhead regardless of his behavior. Is it possible to bond over healed wounds and eating problems? Neji felt like they did, just a bit.

His inner monologue made him realize the redhead was already walking away from the food area. Neji tried to keep up, but the redhead's feet maintained a fast pace as if he was trying to leave Neji behind. As he neared the door, he realized he left his _Lolita_ book at Sasuke's table. Neji bit his lip and said, "Wait, hold on, Gaara."

Gaara's walk slowed until it stopped. He turned his head and said, "Ten seconds."

That was plenty time. Neji turned away and walked to the table where the four friends sat, shoveling food into their mouths. Neji reached for his book when it was snatched by Kiba. The dog-like boy held it over his head and asked, "Why'd you bring this to lunch anyway?"

Neji reached for it, but Kiba tossed it to Choji, nearly whacking Shikamaru's head in the process. The plump boy used his greasy fingers to sift through some pages. "You aren't nerdy enough to be doing homework in lunch, are you?"

The brunet almost wanted to punch the boy for putting his dirty hands on the new pages when it got passed to Sasuke. The duck tailed boy smirked, asking, "Where are you going?"

Neji took the book from Sasuke's hand and said, "I'm sitting with Gaara today. See you guys Monday."

He turned around to walk away when he heard Sasuke ask, "Who?" Neji turned his head, seeing that smirk on Sasuke's face still.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and told Sasuke, "Stop being a douche." He look at Neji and said, "You go on and have with... that. See you Monday."

Neji was confused with his associates' replies, but kept moving, after all, Gaara only gave him ten seconds. As he walked towards the back door, it was clear Neji exceeded the time limit. The redhead was a couple steps out the door. Neji rolled his eyes at Gaara's impatience, but walked a bit faster. He pushed opened the door, four feet from Gaara who never bothered to see if Neji was behind him.

Gaara stepped past the teacher at the last table and onto the plush green grass to walk across the field. When Neji's foot was about to touch the grass, an arm shot out in front of him.

"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" The teacher asked, arm still out in front of Neji. His eyes dashed towards the redhead and back to the teacher. He opened his mouth to answer, but the teacher continued, "There's no eating out in the old picnic tables, sorry, kid."

"But, he just-" Neji started, not sure how come he stopped Neji and not Gaara.

The teacher shook his head and said, "Gotta eat at one of these tables."

Neji gave a quick shout, "Gaara!" He stopped and turned around. Neji shot him a look that read 'help me here,' but Gaara just stared at him for a few seconds before turning around. The brunet slightly dropped his jaw. _What a fucking asshole_.

The brunet mumbled several curses to himself before taking a seat at the outside table closest to the lawn. He took spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth, glaring at the red dot disappearing into the forest. How did he make it past the teacher? Gaara was much more noticeable than Neji was.

Neji sighed and scanned the tables in front of him. His eyes caught the blond boy near the pink haired girl once more. He looked back from Gaara to Neji a few times, then looked down at his food with a frown. Neji shoveled another spoonful of potatoes into his mouth, trying to ignore the glances he caught from the blond for the rest of the lunch.

xoxo

_Maybe I should have went back for him_, Gaara thought, letting the applesauce fall down his throat. _Then again, he was freaking staring at my food. He was probably going to say something about my eating like Temari. I don't need a second sister_.

Gaara saw the 'help me' face Neji gave when Iruka nudged the brunet towards the other tables. Gaara didn't like being put on the spot. He didn't want to help him. He stared at his food and quietly judged him. Gaara was pretty sure he did. The redhead ended up just leaving the boy. He can consider it his lesson for caring more about his diet than whatever interesting activities they could have done.

The redhead tried a spoonful of mashed potatoes, but the moment it touched his tongue, he felt the potato chunks. Gaara stood up and walked to one of the surrounding trees, spitting it out by it. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. _Fucking disgusting_.

He walked back to his tray, refusing to eat anymore mashed potatoes. He quickly finished the applesauce and reached for the chocolate cupcake with red icing. He unpeeled the wrapper and bit into it. He was surprised when there was a gel-like filling in it that tasted like chocolate. Gaara took a look at the middle and saw it was chocolate. _This school gets better with the desserts every year_.

xoxo

Neji stared out the window of the bus seat where Gaara was supposed to be. It was sort of odd how people were cramped in the tiny seats, but nobody took the empty seat that Gaara typically sat in. It was like they purposely avoided the seat. Neji shrugged and dismissed it, taking his spot in the seat.

He wondered where the redhead was. He hadn't seen the little blur of red return from lunch. He even waited a minute or two after the bell, but nothing left the forest. _Maybe he skipped_, he thought, watching the mailboxes along the road zip past.

The bus reached his bus stop and halted. Neji pulled his bag's strap over his shoulder, beginning to stand up. Red in the corner of his eye. Neji looked out the window again and saw Gaara sitting on the lawn of the nice house. Neji hoped his neighbor didn't walk out and tell Gaara to get off, exposing his cover up of a home. He sighed and walked off the bus, ignoring the strange stare the blond boy gave him.

Neji walked towards the redhead who fiddled with the zipper of his bowling ball bag. He heard the bus pull away behind him and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I want to decorate," Gaara stated, running his hand over the zipper's teeth.

Neji couldn't believe he had the gaul to show up out of the blue to decorate and indirectly demand Neji's help after he left him at lunch. He growled, "Why should I help you? You left me at lunch."

Gaara pressed the bare flesh above his eyes together and said, "I didn't ask for your help. You can come with or not." He started to stand up and wiped at the dirt on his legs. He stepped past Neji and stood on the curb. "Besides, it's not my fault you're not a ghost like me."

Neji blinked, a bit thrown off by Gaara's statement. The redhead started across the road with the bowling bag making an odd rattling noise. Neji groaned and followed Gaara, wanting to know what he meant by it. Gaara reached the other sidewalk and started walking to the left. Neji kept in step with him, but looked back. If they went right, they would have been walking towards the town center past the school, but Gaara seemed to be taking Neji towards the outskirts.

They walked several blocks in an eerie silence, making Neji feel a bit uncomfortable. The first time they walked in silence, it was okay, he could be distracted by the trees, but on the main road, all there was were residential homes. Gaara didn't try to make conversation, leaving it up to Neji to speak.

"What'd you mean by 'ghost?' " Neji asked.

Gaara pulled his sweater sleeve over his hand, answering, "I'm like a ghost."

Neji rolled his eyes. "Yes, I think we established that, but I mean HOW?"

"I do whatever I want and nobody sees me, so they can't stop me," he answered, almost sounding proud.

_Nobody sees him? Didn't Sasuke say something about_-?

"I'll wait next time," Gaara quickly added. Neji didn't have a chance to reply when Gaara made a quick turn and stepped across the road. Neji looked for cars (unlike Gaara) and followed him, seeing him walking through someone's lawn.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Neji asked, pretty sure the house was occupied by the many cars in the driveway.

"Shortcut."

Neji rolled his eyes, but crossed the yard in a dash. Gaara unlatched their owner's backyard gate and they stepped through the yard along the fence to avoid getting noticed. They dipped through their small forest, zig zagging through trees and bushes until they reached a field with corn stalks.

"Farm?" Neji asked, although it was obvious it was. Neji knew it was kind of a small town, but he didn't expect a local farm. He wondered what other grains and vegetables the man or woman in charge was growing.

He turned his head to Gaara who's eyes were lit up. A small smile appeared on his face when he announced, "Corn maze."

Neji lifted an eyebrow at the giant square of stalks. "I haven't done a corn maze in years." The last time he did one was a county fair a few towns away from Konoha City. His mother was growing sick of the city and wanted the kids to experience the country side for once. They all hated it immediately because it smelt like hay and manure, not like it was better than garbage and car exhaust, but those were acquired scents.

Gaara grabbed Neji's wrist and held it, saying, "We're doing this."

"Thought there wasn't a 'we,' I was just following you," Neji grumbled, still irked about earlier.

Gaara looked to Neji, looking a bit guilty. He licked his dry lips and said, "I...want you to do this with me."

Neji was glad he didn't demand it like before, but wished it was in question form. However, he tried to be nice about it, so of course Neji would agree. "Okay."

The small smile appeared once more before Gaara tugged him towards the entrance. The corn stalks towered over Gaara and Neji by a foot or two, blocking any chance of cheating and seeing the next pathways. They walk up into the first fork.

"So, left or right?" Gaara asked Neji.

"Right. Don't lefts usually end up in dead ends?"

"Rights could be dead ends too."

"Want to go left?"

"You said go right."

"Well, aren't we doing this together?"

"You can lead the way."

Neji was a bit confused that Gaara was letting him be in charge, but took the right. They continued the same process of turns, often ending up in a circle or dead ends. Gaara never put in his input other than to ask, 'Are you sure about this?' It was pretty irritating to the brunet. At some point, they ended up in the same spot for the sixth time and Neji was over it.

"Fuck this, I'm walking through the stalks," he announced, pushing through a few in front of him.

Gaara grabbed his arm and said, "That's cheating."

"It's not cheating, it's creative winning."

The redhead let go of Neji's arm and mumbled, "You're a killjoy." Neji rolled his eyes, but pushed through the stalks.

Neji did feel a bit bad for ruining the redhead's fun, but he really hated mazes and getting lost. It was rather embarrassing to be beaten by a bunch of corn. He wondered if Gaara would actually go through the maze or step through the stalks like he was doing. After several rows of broken stalks, Neji emerged through the other side with Gaara on the ground ripping grass.

The redhead lazily looked up, saying, "Took you long enough."

"...did you know how to get through the maze the entire time?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Gaara tilted his head and said, "It's not fun if you know the way."

Neji was exhausted emotionally. He worn out his anger too much to say anything but, "You suck."

The redhead didn't even bother to respond. He stood up and threw the grass bits in the air. They rained down on him, getting on his hair. He shook them loose and said, "We have to cross the field before the owner shows up."

xoxo

There was five acres of farmland that included a corn maze, a small pumpkin and squash patch, and other various vegetables like lettuce and string beans. Gaara made it a weekly hobby to walk around the agricultural land to see how the foods were growing. Besides admiring the greens, there was another reason why he liked to walk on the land: Asuma Sarutobi.

There's a few things to be said about a man like Asuma. First would be that he's a fullblown mountain man despite living in a town. It was rumored he spent all of his life in the Suna Mountains, living off the land and cuddling bears. He would neither confirm nor deny it. From the flannel shirts to the Timberland boots to the full grown sideburn-beard, it all screamed 'nature lover.'

The second thing you needed to know was he was completely off his rocker. A single glance at him while in a foul mood and he'd be two seconds from knocking out a jaw. He hissed at babies and probably kicked puppies. Who knew? The only things that mattered in his crazy world was his cabin and his land and he would do _anything_ for his land.

The last year, Gaara had the cops called on him by Asuma. Why? Because Asuma caught Gaara picking weeds from the string beans. He wasn't killing the crops, wasn't poisoning them, just helping the poor beans grow healthy. Of course the cops let Gaara go with a warning, but Asuma never forgot. Since then, he's been keeping a strong eye for Gaara, trying to find where the little ginger was hiding out at. Gaara has always outdone him though. The older man had no chance catching the younger boy, but it amused Gaara to no end to play Cat and Mouse.

Across the pumpkin patch was the part of the forest Gaara wanted to go through, but Neji and him would have to run past the cabbage patch first. Gaara wasn't sure how well Neji could sneak, making him feel a bit nervous, however, Gaara wanted to decorate. Much like Asuma, he'd do _anything_ to decorate what was meant to be his.

"So, what happens if the owner shows up?" Neji asked, stopping their walk to pull a piece of corn stalk from his sneaker. Gaara didn't stop walking and heard Neji's quick jog behind him.

The redhead ignored his question, trying to see where Asuma was. If he was at his cabin, they'd have a good five minutes to dash into the forest, but if he was in the shed a few feet from the cabbage patch, they'd need to hightail it otherwise Asuma would catch them. The last time Gaara was caught, he was hog tied until the police showed up. It was both impressive and mortifying.

"How do you know where he's going to be?" Neji inquired. He looked down at the various heads of cabbage before making a disgusted face. Gaara raised a non-existant eyebrow at the boy's facial. "I don't like cabbage." Gaara nodded, quietly admitting to himself he didn't either.

Suddenly, Gaara heard a rustle. His instincts told him to fall to the ground and avoid being seen. Gaara dropped to the floor and pulled Neji with him. Neji landed face first with an oomph. He spit out some dirt and asked, "What the he-?"

Gaara put his hand over Neji's mouth. "Ssh! I heard something," he whispered, poking his head up over a cabbage.

"Might be the sound of you losing it," Neji muffled through Gaara's fingers.

"Har har. Shut up, I have to look," he told Neji before taking a squat behind a large cabbage. He quickly scanned the land. There was no one at the shed, the barn doors weren't open, and there wasn't any smoke out in the house. It only meant one thing.

"He's out in the field." Gaara stood up and started to jog crouched down. Neji did the same thing, looking around himself.

"What does the owner look like anyway?" He asked.

"Brown hair, big beard and sideburns, cigarette in his mouth, flannel," The redhead replied, catching something off with the surroundings. He saw a little poof of smoke front of him and it smelt like a cigarette. He looked down and saw a fresh cigarette cinging the grass.

Gaara widened his eyes. "He was here. We need to go now," he explained, grabbing Neji by the wrist.

He started pulling him faster past the rest of the patch and towards the pumpkins when something whizzed by them ten feet away into a tree. Gaara and Neji stopped in their tracks, looking at the tree. A small pumpkin exploded on the trunk and was dripping down.

"Well, well, well," a deep voice rang out. Gaara felt a shiver run up his spine. They were caught.

xoxo

"Sabaku decided to pay me another visit, huh? Even when I told you, police, and your fucking father to stay off my property!" The man yelled.

Neji turned his head to the source of the voice. Exactly how Gaara described him. A tiny cigarette hung out his mouth in a harsh frown. Beside him was a catapult of some sort with a pumpkin sitting in it. He leant on the machine and asked, "And you brought a girl with you this time? Trying to soften me up so you don't get as much punished, huh?" He gave a dark chuckle and took a drag on his cigarette.

The brunet felt a surge of anger run under his skin. He did not just mistake Neji as a girl. He looked nothing like a girl other than the hair. What the hell kind of tobacco was he smoking?

"I'm not a girl!" He shouted at the man, clenching his fists tight at his sides.

The man's smirk fell into a hard scowl. "You're not, eh? Fucking queer. Boys shouldn't have long, pretty hair!" He returned, moving behind the catapult.

"You shouldn't call a boy 'pretty' then," Neji snapped back. He hated when people assume boys with long hair were gay. There wasn't a law that stated 'males should wear their hair short.'

The man's face grew red in anger and he muttered, "What'd you say, faggot?"

Neji snarled, "You heard me. You shouldn't be calling strange boys 'pretty' then. Might give the wrong idea to others."

Gaara's eyes widened at Neji's reply and the vicious look on the man's face. "Fucking faggots, get off my property!" He gave the catapult a quick crank before it snapped, launching the pumpkin towards the tree Neji stood in front of.

Gaara tackled him to the ground when the pumpkin neared him. The pumpkin shattered on the tree, splattering pulp all over Gaara and Neji. Neji picked a seed off his face in disgust. "Eeewww."

The redhead pulled him to his feet and said, "In the forest now." He grabbed Neji's wrist and pulled him into the trees before the man had a chance to reload the catapult. Neji heard the yells from the man growing fainter and fainter as they ran through the trees. Was Gaara really that threatened by pumpkins on a slingshot basically? Apparently so since they were long gone from the man, but he continued to run.

"I think..." Neji took a deep breath._ Man, I'm out of shape_. "...we're good. Can we.. stop?" He asked through breaths.

Gaara slowed down, pausing at a thinned out part of the forest. He dropped Neji's wrist and sat on the ground, taking deep breaths himself. Neji collapsed beside him, trying to breathe steadily again. He hadn't ran like that in ages and it was taking a toll on him. When he gathered his breath to his best ability, Neji was ready to ask a few questions.

"Okay, I need to know something," he started. He put up one finger. "One, what's 'Sabaku?' " He put up a second finger. "And two, what the fuck was that back there?"

"My last name," Gaara answered, wiping his forehead with his sweater sleeve.

Neji nodded his head and decided to test it out. "Gaara Sabaku. It seems suitable. And the second question?"

"Asuma, the owner, he's freaking crazy. He's unpredictable," Gaara said, lying down on the forest floor for a moment. "Last time I was caught, he hog tied me."

Neji shuddered at the thought of the man tackling down little Gaara and pulling his limbs together to tie down. It must have been awful. If that happened to Neji, he wasn't sure whether he'd be able to face the world again.

"Before that, he threatened me with a BB gun. That's why we ran. He had it in his back pocket," Gaara explained.

Neji snapped his neck towards the lounging redhead. "Wait, WHAT?" Gaara didn't repeat himself like most people do when asked 'what.' He couldn't believe it. He had possibly risked his life for what? Decorating a tree? "If you knew he had the ability to harm others, why did we go through there?"

"I like looking at the crops."

"Do you ever care about the consequences of your actions?"

"He wouldn't kill us. That'd mean he'd be arrested."

Neji buried his head in his hands. _But he's willing to shoot teenagers in general. That's not worth getting arrested either?_

"Gaara?"

"Yes?"

"I have one more question: If you're a ghost, how come he sees you?"

Neji didn't receive an answer from the redhead at first. He remained silent, but the question did make him sit up to look at Neji. He gave a quick shrug and said, "I guess it doesn't apply to rednecks."

He was about to say something when he saw a small smirk on Gaara's face. It was odd, but for some reason, Neji felt the need to smile with him.

xoxo

Gaara lead Neji to a pathway in the forest that struck the brunet as familiar. Gaara pushed a branch out of the way for Neji to walk through.

"You sure we haven't been here before?" Neji asked, pulling a leaf from his hair.

Gaara walked under the branch and answered, "No." Gaara was lying though. They had been through this part of the forest, it was the trail that led to the Majestic Forest, but he wouldn't tell Neji that, not yet.

He finally stopped somewhere near the end of the trail before the curtain of vines and opened his bowling ball bag. He pulled out two bags of colored, plastic spoons with ties going through the handle and tossed a bag to Neji. Neji caught it and inspected the blue, red, and yellow spoons.

"So, we're decorating with spoons?" The brunet asked with a flat voice.

Try not to enjoy yourself too much, jerk. "Yes."

Neji shrugged and opened the plastic bag, pulling out a red spoon. "So, how many goes on each tree?"

"Three," Gaara replied, placing a yellow one on the tree nearest to him. It immediately spun from the twisted tension of the string. He almost felt a bit of glee because of how whimsy it was. Gaara had over done the paper star thing, so colorful spoons felt like a better replacement for now. It sort of reminded him when Kankuro and him went out to pick blueberries, then have a picnic under a tree, using the ridiculously colored utensils. Gaara looked at the bag for a moment and sighed. He didn't want to think of the past.

He reached into his bag and started hanging the spoons on low branches, taking every other tree leading away from the Majestic Forest. Neji filled in the empty trees Gaara skipped without being told. It felt sort of nice to know Neji understood what to do without having to say it.

They continued this process for a while, exchanging a few sentences, mainly about Gaara's so-called 'obsession' with walking through Asuma's farm.

"It's not an obsession," Gaara told Neji.

Neji unraveled one of the spoons from another and stuck it on the branch in front of him. "Then what do you call walking on the property of a man who will shoot you if seen?"

"A hobby."

Neji looked at Gaara with those pale eyes, looking like he was trying to figure out Gaara. The redhead couldn't help staring back, mesmerized by their luminoscity. Next time they hung out, he had to bring a camera with him to capture them on film.

"You're strange," Neji stated, breaking Gaara's focus.

Gaara frowned and replied, "Says the boy with the 'pretty hair.' "

Neji gave a half-smile, asking, "You think my hair is pretty?"

"...it's not ugly," Gaara quietly admitted, moving to the next tree to hang up a spoon. It really wasn't. He never seen a boy with that long of hair that actually maintained it. Most boys who had it just kept it in a ponytail. Neji however, he had it brushing his bicep with a small bandana wrapped around his head to keep it back. Or at least Gaara assumed so. "Why do you wear that bandana?" He asked, still not making eye contact.

He saw Neji move from where he was towards Gaara. He stopped beside him and said, "Because of this." Gaara looked up at Neji who was reaching into the back of his hair for the tie. The bandana loosened and sagged, revealing a small two inch scar running along his hairline. Gaara reached up to touch it, but Neji pulled back and retightened the bandana to cover it up.

"I got pushed into a kitchen counter when I was ten, hit my forehead off the sharp edge, and ended up getting stitches for it, along with a hairline fracture," Neji explained. "And, it does hold my hair back."

Gaara rolled his eyes, amused that he knew part of reason, but asked, "Why do you cover it?"

"Because people always end up asking about it. It gets annoying to explain to every single person I meet, so if it's out of their sight, it's out of their mind." Neji took a quick look around and asked, "You sure we haven't been here?"

Gaara looked up the path, knowing they were only a few feet from the entrance of the first picnic area. He figured he should tell the truth already. "You'll see." Or maybe not yet.

Neji raised an eyebrow, but continued to hang the spoons wordlessly. After six more trees, Gaara told Neji to give him back the bag of spoons. Neji handed them over and Gaara shoved both bags into his bowling ball bag. They stood in front of the entrance way of the first picnic area, staring at the newly decorated trees. It wasn't as pretty as Gaara hoped it'd be, but it was cute and simple. He didn't want to over decorate a bunch of trees for no reason.

Then Gaara remembered something. He gave a small smile, whispering to himself, "They're spooning."

"What?" Neji asked.

Gaara dropped the smile and replied, "Nothing." _That was close_. "Follow me." He turned towards the entrance and walked through, stepping over the bush branch that caught Neji the first time. Neji stepped over it and stuck his tongue out at it. That seemed to trigger his memory.

"This is the way to the Forest, right?" Neji asked. Gaara walked into the clearing with Neji still tailing. Neji took a look around and answered his own question. "Well, there's my answer." The redhead surpressed his need to roll his eyes at Neji's slowness.

Neji stepped towards Gaara with a soft look and asked, "Why did we decorate it?"

Gaara looked away from Neji's eyes, feeling a bit off with Neji using such a gentle voice. He did, however, have a reason why he decorated the pathway. Gaara opened his bowling ball bag, reached in, and took out a marker. He took Neji's arm, scribbling his cellphone number, recapped, and threw it in his bag.

He looked up to Neji and said, "If you can't reach me here,-" Gaara touched Neji's forearm. "-You know where to find me. That's all."

Gaara stepped away from Neji, avoiding meeting Neji's eyes, and turned towards the exit. He would have never done anything like this with just any new kid. He would never give his number out or show them the Majestic Forest or even leave a trail of spoons to lead them to his hideout. There had to be some reason Gaara felt the need to share these things with Neji.

_Those eyes are spell charmers probably. Yeah... that's the reason._

xoxo

Neji watched Gaara walk away without so much as a goodbye. _What an ass_.

He looked down at his forearm where ten numbers were freshly scribbled in red marker. Gaara's cellphone number. Why did the redhead leave him it anyway? Unless he expected Neji to actually call him to do random stuff in the forest again. If decorating and trespassing on private property the only thing Gaara did, why would he want to hang out with him?

_You spent the last two days with the kid and now it's a problem?_

Neji sighed, thinking about Gaara. He did make life more interesting than it'd probably be with Sasuke and his friends. He guessed their bond over wounds and non-eating was believed by the redhead too. He faintly smiled to himself before exiting the picnic area too.

xoxo

_The moon and the sea drift further apart just to move closer in a day_...

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: And there's the end of Chapter 5. Oh, the adventures Gaara and Neji shall experience in the future. I'm still liking where this fiction is going. And just in case any random readers who are looking at this and see the "Romance" subject and are like, "Five chapters and they're not together? WTF?" The other subject is FRIENDSHIP. It IS there for a reason. Things will occur when they occur.

Random fact: I think it's appropriate to show which song titles for the chapters go with each band, so:

Chapter 1: _Saltwater_ by Beach House

Chapter 2: _Beware_ by Deftones

Chapter 3: _You Came To Me_ by Beach House

Chapter 4: _Hole In The Earth_ by Deftones

Chapter 5: _Apple Orchard _by Beach House

Pretty much, alternating bands. I should wrap this up.

Next update will be sometime in March. Happy reading. Reviews are nice.


	6. Risk

Risk

Neji anticipated the bus ride to school more than he should have. He stood on the curb with Hinata by his side, waiting for the yellow vehicle to show up. He wanted to be whisked away from home and fall into his usual routine of schoolwork. Even Hinata noticed his eager behavior although she weakly smiled at Neji before awkwardly turning away from him.

He couldn't help it though. The weekend was one of his worst weekends ever. The worst part of the _worst weekend ever_ was that nothing major bad occurred. Nothing happened at all, that was the problem.

When he arrived home after hanging out with Gaara, he was greeted by his father who was in a freshly drunk stupor. He swung a bottle near Neji, telling him he didn't have permission to be as late as he was. Neji decided not to tell his father that it was only six and it wasn't dark out, but you can't say that sort of thing to a drunken man. Instead, he told his father to 'fuck off.' That was something else Neji should have known not to say to a drunken man. That response earned him a large bruise on his shin from his father's steel-toed boot.

He promptly limped to his room in embarrassment and agony and collapsed onto his bed. He spent a good hour mentally beating himself up before removing himself from the mattress. Neji took out some homework and worked on it to distract himself from the loud noises outside his room. That was something he thought was bittersweet about homework: it distracted him from paying attention to the chaos around him, but it was the same chaos that he had to protect his family from. Not much of a protector if you don't notice the things you should be protecting. He grimly smirked to himself as he finished his history paper. _This will get me eventually_.

Saturday rolled around and shot a single bright light through his tiny window. Neji had been asleep in the perfect angle where the light landed on his eyes. When he opened his eyelids, he was temporarily blinded, leading him to flail for a moment to cover his eyes. Stupidly, he wore a hair tie around his wrist and a pen was stuck to the end of it from when he did his homework. As he lifted his hands to cover his face, he jabbed his eyeball with the lid. Neji shook his wrist wildly, momentarily ignoring the throbbing pain, and threw the evil pen across the room. He laid back down, trying not to think of how that might have been the stupidest wake up he ever had.

After gathering what was left of his pride, he stood up and grabbed his backpack to finish the rest of his work. He spread the papers out on the floor, pressing the tip of his pencil to the first page when he remembered, What's the point? Back in Konoha City, he had friends to spend time with, so that was his excuse to complete his work earlier than sooner. Sunaville held no companions other than Sasuke and his friends and the odd redhead, Gaara. Neji glanced at his forearm, scanning over the remainder of Gaara's phone number. Gaara told him to call him if he got bored. He was bored, however, he spent the last two days with the boy. He didn't want to be a nuisance or a tag-along. Neji opted from calling him and focused on his homework. Around two in the afternoon, he completed the work. Neatly tucking the work into his messenger bag, he looked around his room.

"What now?" He quietly asked himself.

_Good question_, his mind answered.

It was true though. He had no activities to engage in, no friends to socialize with, and no knowledge of the town around him other than school, the forest, and a farm. What's a poor new kid to do?

_I _guess_ I could walk around the town by myself_, he thought, tugging at the hem of his pajama shorts.

_But, it's Saturday. That's the stupidest use of a Saturday ever. Things like that are meant for Sundays_. Neji sighed. He really didn't want to go out and do physical activity on Saturday. He wanted to go out with his best friend, Akago... except Akago was in Konoha and Neji was in the middle of a forest.

_It's not fair_, he thought, crossing his arms. _Why did I have to move away? Ten-Ten should have moved or something. We didn't like her that much anyway_.

Neji uncrossed his arms and walked to his closet to change into normal clothing. Having disturbing conversations with himself didn't mean he had to stay in pajamas. He tossed his nightwear into a hamper, yanked on some jeans and a blue t-shirt, and took his prior place on the floor. He pretzeled his legs and stared at the wall, still debating whether to go out and _explore_.

Through the doorway, he heard muffled sounds of:

"Shut the fuck up, woman!" _Crash_.

"Please, st-stop it!" _Slap_.

"Don't tell me what to do!" _Crack_.

_Maybe it is a nice day to go out and explore,_ he sarcastically thought.

In less than fifteen seconds, he had his sweater and beanie hat on and was out his bedroom door. He passed by the kitchen, faintly making out the shadow of his mother on the floor and his father standing above her. Neji slowed down to make sure nothing would turn sour. He occasionally had to watch out for his mother's behavior. While she may understand a few of his father's drunken antics, sometimes she pushed the envelope and made him reach his limit. The surefire way to get out of his father's warpath was to shut up and do as you're told.

_Shut up and do as you're told_, Mom, he mentally told her.

He waited for a few seconds, trying to figure out the silence occurring in the room. It was broken when he heard the sound of shuffling. He poked his head enough into the doorway to see his father helping his mother up from the floor. There was a small cut under her eye that bled, but nothing was done about it. Once she was up, she was gently pushed towards the oven.

"Make me brunch," his father sternly ordered before taking a seat at the table.

Neji turned from the scene immediately. He didn't want to see the bittersweet face his mother was probably making. The face of strain, stress, and bittersweet hope for a future. It was almost as heartbreaking as Hanabi's innocent behavior towards their father. He made his way to the front door, quickly pulled on his sneakers, and shut the door behind him. _Exploration_ time, he boredly thought, taking his first steps onto the sidewalk.

He followed the gray stone sidewalk for several blocks, somewhat admiring the cozy looking homes. He liked how they were able to have a front yard with flowers or yard decorations that matched their doors. He silently wished his family had something like that. They moved from the city to a town, the least they could have is a proper front yard. He pushed the thought away as he neared the school. He eyed the desolate entrance before moving forward in the journey.

He started to reach the more urbanized area of the town where the stores and small businesses sat. He passed small buildings with signs that read, "_Jiraiya's Massage and Rejuvenation Spa_," "_Puppets R Us- Puppets by Chiyo_," and the "_Akatsuki Biker Club_." When Neji saw that last building, he sped up his walk a bit, especially when a man outside the door in an oversized leather jacket glared at him.

A couple minutes later, Neji reached the center town where a large water fountain stood along with a circling intersection. He was surprised that a small town like Sunaville had such an intersection. He decided that the town was probably split into sections then like upper, lower, east, and west. He didn't dwell much on it as he continued towards the city hall building.

It was a white two-story building with several Doric columns* supporting the front entrance's archways. The spaces between every other pillar had a small statue that looked much like a gargoyle. Neji was a bit weirded out that a political building would have gargoyles, but it was an odd town to begin with. He stared up at the building, noting the few shadows that passed by the windows on the second floor. It didn't seem all that busy. Only a few people walked in and out, yet none donned the business attire a political figure may have worn. He shrugged and assumed it was a tourist sight too. He turned his back to it, deciding he ventured enough for the day.

When he returned home, Neji found himself struck with boredom. He tried to fill the void by hanging out with Hinata. They scrounged up their old Gameboy games and made a brief video game competition between game links before that grew old. Neji played Tic-Tac-Toe, Boxes, Hangman, Pictionary, but he still was relatively impassive.

"You miss home, don't you?," Hinata asked, drawing what seemed like a banana.

"Yeah," he admitted to her. He pointed at the picture, claiming, "Banana."

"No," she told him, curving the line out perpendicular to the round shape.

Neji sighed, telling her, "I've never been so... not busy." He waited a few seconds before asking, "Unicorn?"

"No," she told him, looping the line around once more. "At least you had the choice of busyness. I didn't have anyone."

"Did you make any friends yet?"

"A girl named Ten-Ten spoke to me. I don't think we're friends though."

"Understandable. It's hard to make a companion in less than three days."

"Not from what I heard."

Neji raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"

Hinata remained silent though. She had a weird glint in her eye that made Neji suspicious. He scowled for a moment before looking down at the paper.

"...Did you really just draw a man with an abnormal dick?"

"I think the term you're looking for is a 'male.'"

"You perv."

"I'm a teenager, what do you expect?"

They looked at one another before laughing at the incredibly lame photo of the badly drawn man with a banana as his 'ding-dong,' as Hanabi would say. Several dumb Pictionary papers later, he returned to his room, trying to figure out what to do next. After a few minutes (or maybe hours), he ended up staring at the ceiling like his first day of living in the house. His eyes were focused on the brown stains scattered along the ceiling tiles. He seemed to drift in and out of awareness, losing himself to the strange patterning of the water damage. Somewhere along the line, he fell asleep and drifted into a dark world.

He woke up Sunday morning, feeling a bit renewed, but something felt was off. He felt something warm beside him and it definitely did not feel like the heater. He turned his head to see Hanabi curled up near him. Her small limbs were bent near one another as if she was a small cat. He smiled at first, remembering how she used to climb into bed with him when she had nightmares, but upon closer inspection, he saw a flash of red near her jaw. Neji shot up in bed and gently shook the girl's shoulders.

"Hanabi," he whispered, nudging her awake. "Hanabi, wake up."

The girl slowly uncurled herself, exposing her jaw line. It was a trail of dried blood from a cut in the corner of her lip. She yawned for a moment, then squeaked. Her hand moved to her mouth as she mumbled, "Ooow."

"Hanabi, what happened?" He asked, reaching for her mouth.

Hanabi pulled back and told him, "I knocked daddy's beer out of his hand last night. Don't you remember?"

Neji blinked, trying to piece together what happened last night. He remembered staring at the ceiling and falling out of awareness every so often, but how would he remember something that didn't happen in his room? A quick jolt of pain ran up his back, leading him to grind his teeth in pain. He laid back down beside Hanabi, waiting for the rest of the story.

"He punched my mouth and I came to your room crying. You hugged me, but then he came in. He started yelling and tried to kick me, but you put yourself between him and me," she explained, licking her thumb and rubbing away what she felt was blood on her chin.

Neji pushed her hand away and wiped the blood away himself. _That'd explain why my back hurts like hell. Why don't I remember it though_?

"Hanabi, have you been in here with me all night?"

She nodded. "I didn't want to go outside. He could have still been there."

_A little girl shouldn't be afraid in her own damn house_, he angrily thought. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her ear. _I'll defend you whenever I can. I promise_.

The rest of Sunday was uneventful much to Neji's displeasure. Not that he wanted something bad to happen, but he wanted something unusual to occur at least. After shooing Hanabi to her room and shooting hateful glares at his oblivious father, he decided to do the housework his mother wasn't tending to, like vacuuming and dusting. As he ran the vacuum through the living room, he remembered how awful it was to be the second most responsible person in the home. Anything his mother wasn't taking care of was immediately placed on Neji's lap. Sometimes he put it upon himself, like he was doing now with the vacuuming. After the living room, he had to put in the new doorknob for the front door, a task that would usually be done by his father. Once again, it was something the second most responsible person would have to do instead.

The day passed seamlessly and Neji found himself lying in bed, trying to go to sleep. He heard his father's nasty words about him that were said to his mother.

Faggot. Son of a bitch. Useless. Pathetic.

Neji clutched at his shirt and turned to his side to curl up. He pressed his eyelids together, hoping to fall to sleep. It took several minutes of counting sheep to get there, but he managed. As he fell into his slumber, he vaguely remembered a little redhead, staring at him with his aquatic eyes.

_Waves crashing, foam fizzing, rain falling_...

xoxo

"So, Temari? Your boyfriend is stopping by today, right?" Kankuro asked, shoveling a large spoonful of Lucky Charms into his mouth.

Gaara almost dropped his spoon hearing this information. His eyes widened as he looked towards his bored sister who twirled her cereal with her spoon.

_Please no. _Please_ no_, he silently pled.

"Yeah," Temari answered, barren of any happiness other than the quick twitch in the corner of her mouth.

Fuck.

"I can't believe you two are still going out. Thought you would have moved onto an older dude by now," Kankuro admitted, adjusting his black hood. He pushed the Lucky Charms box to Gaara. He picked it up and poured it out into his bowl, signaling the beginning of nit-picking marshmellows. Gaara reached into the bowl, scooping up the plain pieces.

Kankuro rolled his eyes and said, "Just eat the ugly pieces too, runt. It's fucking annoying when I pour it out and I get almost no marshmellow."

Like I care. Gaara shot him a blank stare before continuing his process of separation. He tossed a handful of plain pieces back into the box and gave Kankuro a snarky grin. _No marshmellows for you_.

Kankuro rolled up his invisible sleeves, muttering, "Why I oughta..."

Temari finally gave an expression of annoyance as she punched Kankuro in the arm. His hand shot up to his right shoulder and made a pained facial.

"Ooow, what was that for?" He whined.

"Lay a hand on my little bro and I'll kick your ass," Temari told him, pointing at him with her spoon as if it was a laser gun.

Gaara felt victorious before her glare switched to him. "You, stop being a dick and eat the ugly pieces. You're not going to die for eating frosted fiber."

Yes I will. Gaara really didn't want to eat those pieces. They were dry, tasted odd, and highly doubted they were frosted in any sort of humanly way. There wasn't anything in the world that would get him to eat them. He reached into the bowl for the marshmellows he picked, threw them onto a napkin, and dumped the rest of the cereal back into the box. He didn't need a full breakfast, just a bit of food to get through the day.

"Gaara, you're not avoiding him today," Temari informed the redhead, eating a spoonful of her cereal. Gaara raised his nonexistent eyebrow at her, translating into '_What are you talking about_?' She waved her hand at him, saying, "Don't play stupid. I know you're purposely avoiding him. You're seeing him today and eating dinner. Got it?"

He suppressed his growl at her demand. He made it abundantly clear that he didn't want anything to do with Temari's boyfriend. Sure, he liked her boyfriend more than Naruto, but unlike Naruto, the guy was able to invade his space more frequently due to his relationship with Temari. He didn't want to see him and definitely did not want to eat dinner with him. He angrily picked a marshmellow from his napkin and crunched it as loud as he could (well as loud as a tiny marshmellow can be smashed), showing he was mad.

Gaara saw his brother and sister exchange amused looks before staring down at the marshmellow napkin. They looked at each other once more with sadder faces. Kankuro turned to Gaara and asked, "Don't you think you should eat more than just marshmellows?"

He shook his head, throwing the small handful into his mouth. He reached for his cup of milk, chugged it, and reached for his book bag on the floor.

Temari added, "You know breakfast is still open when you get to school? You should pick up a honey bun at least."

Gaara inwardly groaned at their concern. He was a grown boy, he could eat whatever the fuck he wanted, including only sugar if he pleased. _A honey bun doesn't sound so bad though_. Not like he'd tell Temari that anyway. He didn't bother to acknowledge her suggestion and started to leave the kitchen. He really hated their concern.

"Put on a scarf, it's chilly outside today!" Temari yelled before Gaara opened the front door.

He turned his head to the coat rack, seeing the gray scarf he knitted last year hanging off a knob. He thought about it for a second before disregarding it and leaving.

He really hated their concern.

xoxo

"Morning," Neji greeted Gaara as he dropped onto the seat beside him. A familiar burn tingled through his back. _For Christ's sake_, he grumbled in his head, shifting his seat position.

Gaara blankly watched Neji's weird shuffling for longer than Neji expected. Gaara didn't focus on people very long, giving more attention towards the window. Maybe he actually looked more entertaining than trees. Neji almost snorted. Doubt it. When Neji found a comfortable position, he let out a sigh of relief and turned his head towards Gaara to repeat himself. The redhead still held a blank stare, making Neji forget about saying 'morning.' The blue eyes were locked onto Neji's, almost like they were trying to pierce through his soul.

To Neji's surprise, Gaara's stare lessened, cocked his head and asked, "Jittery?"

Neji shook his head slowly. _Didn't expect that_. "Hurt my back last night. Makes it hard to sit," he lied, not in the mood to explain the truth.

"Oh," Gaara answered. He gave Neji one last blank stare before turning his head towards the window as usual.

Neji frowned, but settled down in his seating position. After a nice minute of body peace, the bus hit a bump that knocked Neji out of the nice spot. The sudden change shot more pain up his spine that he made a quiet growl. Neji could tell from his peripheral that Gaara turned his head, but he didn't care at the moment. He just needed a nice place to sit and stay still. Neji shifted in the seat various times trying to find the right spot. Unfortunately, the spot that gave him comfort was closer to Gaara. He pressed his lips to the side, but settled in the spot, feeling the heat of Gaara's shoulder. Neji expected Gaara to tell him to 'get out of his space,' yet nothing happened.

A quiet minute passed between the two until Gaara said, "You never called."

Neji looked at Gaara who's eyes fell back outside. "Did you expect me to call?"

"Yeah."

"...Did you want me to?"

"Not specifically."

"So what does it matter if I did or didn't?"

Gaara stared at Neji's messenger bag. "You don't know anyone here. Thought you'd get bored."

Neji pressed his shoulder closer to Gaara unintentionally, admitting, "I was bored."

"So why didn't you call?"

Neji didn't answer Gaara's question. He couldn't think of a real reason other than he didn't want to be a bother to the redhead.

"You don't bother me," Gaara told him. _Fucking mind reader_. The redhead finally looked up at Neji and finished, "Except when you're a coward." Before Neji could tell him otherwise, a tiny smirk grew on Gaara's face. "You're easy to rile up," the boy stated, not bothering to hide the hint of delight in his voice.

Gaara didn't wait for a response from Neji though. He turned his head out towards the window again, ignoring the half-pissed, half-confused face Neji wore. They didn't share anymore words for the rest of the bus ride. They sat next to each other in a strangely comfortable silence, lost in their own worlds. Although Neji spaced out for the rest of the ride, he swore he felt the redhead shift closer to him.

_It's probably just my imagination_.

xoxo

Gaara did something he normally didn't do when he skipped study hall: he switched locations. He wasn't sure himself why he decided to change up his usual place, but it seemed appropriate.

Gaara's forest visits over the weekend seemed more solitary, more alone. He knew he gave his number to the Neji boy to hang out if he wanted, but the thing he never told Neji was that he tended to shut his phone off over the weekend. In a way, he might have been waiting for the long-haired boy to show up in the forest. He told Neji he'd be there if the phone wasn't on. Hours passed and he didn't hear a single leaf crushed. Returning to the forest on this day would just cause him to think of his slight disappointment over the weekend.

_I'm not disappointed. I have no reason to. I didn't demand him to call me or see me. I said if he wanted to_.

And he didn't.

Gaara sighed and poked a dress form dummy in the abdomen. The figure tottered on its pole before steadying once more. Gaara took a glance around the room, noting the racks of historical costumes ranging from Renaissance gowns in muted colors, capes in heavy velvet lined in bright silks, and spandex leggings with vine-designs running down the thighs. Beside the racks of clothes sat a table full of dummy heads, stacked with several bowler and top hats while others had individual heads with large elaborate hats with feathers and jewels. The bulbs off the makeup desks lit up the room brighter than Gaara's taste, but the dark walls of the room kept the cozy feeling of claustrophobia.

Years ago, he used to work stage crew for the drama club and was entrusted a key to the wardrobe and prop room. Instead of working lights and props, the leaders insisted he become the costume chauffeur. He'd take the unneeded costumes and move them to the prop room and bring out the ones needed to the play. Gaara didn't loathe the job, but he wanted to work with the technically parts, not be part time dry cleaner. Unknown to the crew, he made a copy of the key but hadn't found a reason to use it until now.

Gaara may have not liked his job role, but he loved the wardrobe and prop room. It was filled with older-looking clothes from every era possible. Regardless of the time errors the scripts may have had, he loved the way the clothing look. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but the clothes he admired the most were the pirate clothing. The stiff cotton shirts with discoloring and tears mixed with dark pants and scuffed boots while the woman wore long, gathered dresses and skirts with tight bustiers and ruffled tops that gave the feel of toughness and femininity. Pirates were the ultimate adventurers. They traveled the seas from port to port, living their lives free of the restrain of laws and rules in search of treasure or overall wealth that'd support their everlasting travel. He often imagined himself as one in charge of his own ship.

Of course, Gaara read many books and watched movies that utilized piracy, fascinated by the strong attitudes and their carefree appearances. It was one of his side reasons why he adventured in the forest surrounding him. He didn't have a sea, but he had plenty of woodland that hadn't been discovered by man. It was the thrill of discovery that kept Gaara going.

He sat up from the bench and looked in the corner of the room. He saw a small treasure box from one of the plays with the top propped up. He couldn't see the contents from where he sat, so he stood up and walked over to the brown box. He leaned over it, eying the inside, and smiled to himself.

_I'm going to have fun today_.

xoxo

_Where the hell are you_? Neji asked himself, scanning the hallway in front of the cafeteria entrance. Groups of teens hung outside chattering away, but none of them were the little redhead.

To Neji's surprise, Gaara initiated communication with him in form of a note. Said note was folded in a compact, neat square that was flicked over to Neji's desk. Well, 'flicked' and 'to the desk' may not be the appropriate words. It was more closely related (if not exactly) chucked at the brunet's face, then landed on the desk. The universe was on his side when he tilted his head at that precise moment of impact. If not, it was have struck his pupil (as if enough eye injuries didn't occur over the weekend.) He unwrapped the note after shooting Gaara a dirty glare and read the neatly sprawled message:

_Sit with me at lunch._

_A man of few words, even in writing form_…

Neji casually glanced over the lettering, noting that despite it's neat writing, the words were tiny and the spaces were as compact as the fold of the note. He reread it over to make sure it said was it did, but there was no denying it. On Friday, Gaara had promised to wait for Neji for lunch, so he assumed today would be the day of the promised wait.

His eyes drifted towards the boy who was playing with a pack of Sharpies. Similar to the first day he saw him, Gaara was amused by something like coloring, trailing the ink tips across the piece of paper he had. Neji held in his smile at the sight and folded the note. He tucked it into his pocket and awaited til the end of class. Gaara and him would exchange a few more words before the bell. Gaara and Neji waited for most of the class to file out before leaving themselves. The redhead looked like he was about to say something when Sasuke almost bumped into him. Instead of apologizing to Gaara, he continued forward without a single glance back.

Neji was about to tell him to say 'sorry' when Gaara told him, "Don't."

"Why not? That's just douche-y," Neji told him, watching Sasuke's shadow disappear into the crowd of people.

Gaara tightened his hold on the books held to his chest. His eyes fell from Neji towards the doorway, informing him, "It's nothing." As usual, Gaara walked away without letting Neji reply. Neji simply sighed and pushed it out of his mind. Almost anything Neji questioned about Gaara was a 'nothing.' His eating habits, the strange phone call, and the way he allowed people to be ignore his existence. Typically, he wanted answers for strange phenomena like this, but it'd been less than a week of knowing Gaara. There was no reason to be caught up in his strange mysteries.

Neji didn't see any obnoxious blood-red hair straggling in the hallway, so he moved towards the cafeteria doors. He pushed them open and quickly scanned the few tables in front of him. He saw more odd colors of the rainbow, but nothing red. Neji stepped in, making his way towards the lunch line. He still checked the round tables for him although it was unlikely. From what he knew of Gaara, he didn't seem much like a people-person. His eyes fell onto Sasuke's table where Shikamaru only sat. The ponytailed boy donned his apathetic frown and bit into a sandwich. He managed to catch Neji's stare though and raised the sandwich up in greeting. Neji gave him a quick wave and continued his way to the line.

He pressed through the line of people, earning a few annoyed grumbles. He looked around and spotted Gaara almost immediately by the fruit bar. As he made his way towards the redhead, not sure what he would say to him. Most of their exchanges came of comments of the obvious, Neji's inquiries of Gaara's activities, and their brief exchange of personal details that occurred whenever they did.

_Ugh, whatever, I'll wing it_.

He slid his tray beside Gaara, greeting him, "Hey."

Gaara's eyes traveled from the fruits to Neji's tray. "You skipped the theme bar," he told him.

"Theme bar?"

"Themed food. Italian, Chinese, whatever." Neji turned his head towards the beginning of the line where he cut through to see a flag he didn't recognize hanging over the glass section. "Today's Indian. Curry."

Neji instantly grimaced at the mention of curry. He had never liked curry, nor any foods that contained heat or spice in extreme measures. He had a significantly weak tongue that could not handle the temperatures. Even mild wings would leave him in a wheezing state to his embarrassment. In a cruel twist of fate, upon discovering his weakness towards hot and spicy food, he learned he loved the flavor of mild wings before it swelled up his throat and sent him into an almost allergic reaction. As a result of disclosing this information with his friends back in Konoha city, they liked to throw in hot sauce on his food when he wasn't looking as a prank. It was also the second reason why he had started packing lunch (the first being he was too poor for the lunches provided in school.)

Gaara raised his non-existent eyebrow towards Neji, probably confused from Neji's reaction towards the curry.

"I don't eat hot or spicy foods in any shape or form," he explained as he reached for a cup of strawberries in the bar. Gaara scooted out of his way, but still didn't touch any of the fruits. Neji retracted his arm and put the cup on his tray, taking a quick glance at Gaara's tray. There wasn't anything. He wanted to ask 'why not,' but it was probably a safe bet not to do it.

"Can't pick a fruit?" Neji asked.

Gaara shook his head, eyes bouncing back and forth between two fruits in particular: the applesauce and the strawberries.

"Don't you usually get applesauce?"

"Yes," Gaara answered, fingers quietly tapping on his tray.

"Then why not get the applesauce?"

"Because there's strawberries."

"So?"

Gaara gave Neji a look that he interpreted as 'you're an idiot' and muttered, "Strawberries are sweet."

Neji rolled his eyes away from the redhead, off put by the attitude. "Whatever."

"Whatever," Gaara repeated. His fingertips slipped off the tray to the bar before pausing again. He twisted his face for a moment and pulled his hand back, staring at the fruits.

_For goodness sake, it's a FRUIT! Pick one and get a move on_, Neji complained in his head, still waiting for Gaara to do something. The redhead was almost in some deep concentration trying to decide what to get.

He sighed and decided himself that Gaara needed some convincing on picking the stupid strawberries. He pushed his tray next to Gaara, quickly telling him, "I'll be right back." The redhead didn't reply, but continued to hog space on the fruit bar as people walked around him. Neji went towards the condiment/utensil bar and grabbed a couple of packets of sugar. He returned to his tray, ripped the packet tops, and poured the white powder onto his tray. Gaara's eyes shifted from the fruits to Neji's actions, watching Neji bite off a tip of the strawberry, dip the top into the mound of sugar, and hold it towards Gaara.

"Open your mouth," he told Gaara, strawberry held by his lips.

Gaara's eyes widened for a moment and asked, "Why?"

"Haven't you had strawberries and sugar (1)?" Neji asked. Gaara shook his head. Neji was astonished that he hadn't done such a thing. Clearly, Gaara needed to be taught about the glorious deliciousness that was strawberries and sugar. "Eat this, it tastes just like caaaandy," he sing-songed, trying to coax the stubborn redhead.

Gaara pouted for a moment and looked at the red fruit in Neji's finger tips. After a few seconds, he opened his mouth, letting Neji push said fruit into his mouth. Gaara gobbled the whole thing, taking his time to chew. Slowly, he started to watch the redhead's face contort from blank to slight surprise to maybe a hint of happiness? As he swallowed, the facial died off, however, he grabbed the strawberry cup and took off towards the condiment bar.

Neji giggled for a moment at Gaara's reaction. _That was sort of cute. It was like he was a little kid skipping for ice cream_.

The giggles died off as he followed Gaara through the next few bars, gathering the foods he wanted to eat. They took a place in the register line where Neji began questioning how exactly he was supposed to get by the teacher outside. Gaara was in the clear with his ghost abilities, but Neji was a bigger sore thumb because he was new and easily recognizable by the freakish white eyes and girl length hair on a boy.

Gaara looked back at Neji who began tapping at the bottom of his tray. He watched the action for a moment and said, "You're nervous."

_No shit, Sherlock_. "Well, I don't exactly have your ghostly phase powers," he responded.

A bit of amusement crawled into Gaara's voice. "Phase powers?"

"Yeah," Neji began. At rapid fire, he explained, "You know how in movies that sometimes the spirit can be seen by anyone and then when someone they don't want to be seen by shows up and they like, phase out their body and become invisible and that person doesn't notice the spirit?"

Gaara blankly stared at Neji.

"That," Neji reaffirmed. He still received a blank stare from the redhead. Apparently, his explanation was either flawed or he was oblivious to what Neji explained. It was pretty easy to understand. Phase in, viewable presence. Phase out, invisibility time. Simple. Unless he was surprised at how fast he explained it.

"You...are weird," was the curt response from the redhead.

_Coming from the boy who decorates the fucking forest_.

Neji rolled his eyes and nudged the boy to move out of line so he can pay. Neji handed the register lady a dollar and stepped out of line with Gaara, shooting him a 'what now' look. Gaara didn't give him any response, but began to walk away. He was starting to get tired of this 'walk away, talk later' routine. It wasn't hard to just say what's happening when it's happening.

He followed the redhead out the door towards the outside tables. He vaguely caught the eye of the blond boy from his previous lunch escapade. The boy gave him a weird look. It was something between bittersweet and sadness that soon twisted into surprise. He looked away from the boy, not sure why he seemed surprised.

Then he felt something on his arm that was the source of the surprise. Gaara curled his arm around Neji's and pressed his head against the meat of his upper arm, holding his tray with his free arm. A jolt ran up his spine, lacking the pain from the morning. He tried to glance back over at the blond boy for confirmation that this was occurring when his arm was tugged at. Gaara actually wore a face that wasn't blank, annoyed, or somewhat happy. It was actually more like uncomfortableness. The redhead tightened his hold and murmured, "Don't make eye contact with him."

"Why not?" Neji asked, curious that he was being told to avoid the person Gaara appeared to be avoiding too.

Gaara seemed a bit put off by Neji's question and looked towards the ground. "Just don't," he softly told him, tugging at his arm to speed up.

Neji gave a quick huff who already expected he wouldn't be given any true reasoning and continued towards the field with the redhead clinging to his arm. He could see the brown-haired teacher sitting at the table between the field and the rest of the tables. It was like he was waiting for Neji and Gaara to show up. They neared the brunet teacher and Neji clutched at the tray, expecting to be scolded once more.

They whisked right past him.

Neji blinked, realizing they began stepping onto the field without a single word. _Wait, what_? He turned his head and saw the teacher still on the table with the back to the two.

"Stop looking, keep walking," Gaara commanded, tugging at his arm. He seemed to snuggle more into Neji's arm to his surprise. He repressed the second shiver up his spine as they closed in on the forest edge.

"Why are you hugging my arm?" Neji asked. He didn't mind personally, but it was very unexpected.

Gaara answered with a question. "In movies, don't the spirits touch the humans to use their 'Phase powers' to help humans through walls?"

"Yes, but-"

"So, shut up."

Neji pursed his lips together in annoyance, however, Gaara had a point. No matter the freaky way he managed to get Neji past the teacher, the fact of the matter was that they made it to their destination.

xoxo

_Chandeliers. Crystal chandeliers bumping into their neighboring charms, filling the room with soft glass noises. An array of colors are softly painted on the ceiling, blending into one another. A slight read of atmospheric perspective pulls you into the piece as if the depth is infinite. Sometimes it feels that way. You stare at the wall above and take in the reflection of spiraling hues. The colors bounce off the crystal chandeliers, decorating the empty spots with refracted rainbow beams._

_Isn't it beautiful? Isn't it wonderful?_

_It is..._

_Shimmer... shimmer... shimmer_...

"Gaara?"

_What_?

"Hello?"

_Stop it_.

"Then pay attention," the voice demanded.

Gaara blinked and fell out of his reverie. What the hell happened to the King of Sunaville? The law should really exist. He groaned to himself, taking a peek at his companion. The brunet boy stared at him in confusion, completed with a cocked eyebrow.

"And you call me weird," Neji began, leaning back on the table with his forearms. "Did you even hear me?" He shook his head. Neji scoffed and said, "I said, 'you shimmer.' "

_I shimmer_? Gaara then recognized why the word 'shimmer' was repeating in his head. He looked down at his sweater, forgetting that weaved into the black yarn was slivers of silver tinsel. The sunlight outside made the shirt look extra shimmery. He repressed the urge to smile at the thought of sparkling like the stars in the trees, but allowed the warm feeling he got in his stomach. Perhaps it was bad for a teenage boy to be delight by such whimsy, however, Gaara never claimed he was normal in any manner.

He realized he never answered Neji, but he didn't care much to do so. It was obvious he shimmered, there was no need for validation. He took a quick glance at Neji and saw him huff and turn towards the trees. He bit into his hamburger much like Gaara crushed his breakfast marshmellow: in annoyance and anger.

Gaara felt a strange sense of guilt for a moment. He knew he invited the brunet to lunch with him, but maybe he didn't have to be... silent. He didn't have anything he really wanted to talk about, he just liked having Neji's mesmerizing eyes in his same vicinity.

_Keep thinking that_.

_I will_.

He then remembered something from earlier this morning. He could help the slight grin that twitched in his mouth when he got off the table, grabbing the last strawberry off his tray.

"What are you doing?" Neji asked, finishing his last bite of food. He popped the tiny hamburger piece into his mouth and waited for a reply.

Gaara pulled back his smile and told him, "I have something fun to do."

Neji raised an eyebrow, cautiously asking, "Fun?"

"Fun," he repeated. _Very fun_, he smirked.

~ xo ~

Neji tugged at the ropes wrapped around his body, waving his tied ankles in anger. Gaara could swear there was a vein in Neji's forehead that was throbbing in anger. This only amused Gaara more though. He wiggled his top half of his body, trying to yank himself from the hold. His hair flipped back and forth in a wave of chocolate locks, but it did nothing to help his situation.

Gaara adjusted the black bandana he tied around his forehead and picked up a sword from the treasure chest beside him. _I can't believe how easy that was_. Gaara led Neji towards the Majestic Forest, telling him he wanted to play a game.

"What type of game?" Neji asked.

"An acting sort of game."

"Acting like how?"

"Pretending to be someone you're not."

Neji paused and asked, "Isn't that role play?"

"...I suppose."

The boy stifled a laugh, then coughed to cover it up, but Gaara knew exactly what he was thinking. It had happened before during his stage crew career when he found unused weaponry from old plays. Neji couldn't hold in the laugh though and he let out a loud bellow.

_Say it and your fate will be worse than what I originally planned_, he dared Neji. He gave Neji a hard glare, but it didn't stop his laughter. _Don't you fucking say it_.

Neji sealed his fate though when he lifted up his finger at Gaara and wheezed, "Neeeerd!"

And now Neji was experiencing his self-inflicted doom. After giving the iciest cold shoulder possible for the rest of the walk, they unlocked the forest and entered. Neji saw the treasure chest by one of the metal bears and walked over to check it. This only made it easier to get revenge. Gaara waited until he opened the chest before springing into action.

The brunet lifted the top, took a look, and started, "What the-?"

Gaara reached in to grab the rope and tackled Neji to the ground. They landed with an 'oomph' on the hard ground, but it didn't jostle Gaara enough to stop him for his goal. Neji's face read surprise and despair as Gaara made him flip over. Not like it was an easy task though. Neji may had been underweight much like Gaara, but he still had body mass and slight muscle. It was enough for him to slip away from Gaara's grasp every so often. While Neji tried to army crawl away from the redhead, he wouldn't allow it. Gaara tossed himself onto Neji's back, yanked the boys arms behind him, and as quickly as he could tied the rope around his wrists.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Neji yelled, still rocking his body back and forth to try to shake off the redhead on his back.

Gaara smirked. "Tying you up. What do you think?"

"Obviously, asshole!"

_Now we're insulting me with slurs? This isn't going to end pretty for you_, Gaara threatened in his mind. He pushed his knee into Neji's lower back, pinning him to the ground. He reached for the other rope and tried to wrangle up Neji's legs. This caused a reflexive motion of kicking that dampened Gaara's attempts. Somehow, Neji managed to buck Gaara off and he stood, starting to run away. Because he was so focused on getting away, he ran right into a tree and fell over.

Since Neji was disillusioned, he missed the laugh attack Gaara had on the forest floor. It hurt Gaara a bit to laugh so much after so long, but, God, it was the stupidest thing he ever witnessed after Kankuro's bright idea to pet an electric eel at the zoo. He couldn't sit and laugh forever though, so he got up (still laughing), sat on Neji's back and pulled his legs up to tie his ankles together.

He dragged the half-aware Neji to the tree he ran into, turned him face first to the tree, and began wrapping the rope around his midsection to secure him in place. He finally gained total consciousness when he started an awkward escape struggle.

Gaara let the tip of the sword trail behind him as he approached the frightened brunet boy. He wanted Neji to hear the sharp noise of metal dragging over rocks, slicing through leaves, mowing over weeds. He wanted Neji to experience his punishment in every sense possible.

He pulled his lips to the side, realizing, _I'm a bit more sadistic than I thought I was_. He shrugged and continued to allow the sword make screech-like noises.

Neji finally looked over to Gaara. He saw fear run through his face as he asked, "Is th-that a sword?" Gaara peered down at the long metal weapon for a few seconds, then looked up at Neji's surprised face.

"No, it's a shish kabob," he deadpanned.

The brunet returned Gaara's blank stare, muttering something like 'brat.'

Gaara lifted the sword tip towards Neji's neck and asked, "Care to say that again?"

Neji shook his head and pressed his forehead to the tree, shutting his eyes.

"I would prefer not to die by sword. Or rather, not by a pirate," Neji sighed.

Gaara looked down at his shirt, forgetting he pulled on the flowy, white cotton shirt over his sweater. If he was going to harm Neji, he could at least look the part of the pirate. He tossed his shoulders back, lengthening his hold on the sword. Neji pulled his head from the tip in fear.

"Who said you were going to die?" Gaara asked, amused that Neji thought he was really going to get hurt.

Neji shot him an incredulous look and replied, "Let's see: you led me into the middle of nowhere, you tackled me to the ground, tied me to a fucking tree, and you have a sword at my face. Is there something I'm missing that doesn't read _death_?"

It was Gaara's turn to stifle a laugh as he pulled the sword from Neji's face and placed it at his own shin.

"What are you doing?" Neji asked, watching Gaara trace the flat side of the sword over his jeans. The redhead ignored him, continuing the action. Worry struck Neji as he tugged at the ropes again. "Are you stupid? You're going to hurt yourself."

That was it. Gaara couldn't keep up the menacing appearance anymore. Neji was clearly too gullible and it'd be too fun to mess with him for any longer. Gaara smirked and walked towards Neji, leaning on the tree himself.

"I'm not going to hurt myself with foam, cardboard, aluminum foil, and plastic sheets," Gaara informed him. He pulled the sword to his own face, dragging the edge along his face. Neji winced, but stopped when he saw no marks being made against the redhead's flesh. "Our special effects team does marvelous work, don't you think?"

Pink amassed on the brunet's face as he slammed his head into the tree. Over. And over. And over.

Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Any reason...?"

"Maybe I'll die from a hemorrhage," Neji mumbled into the tree bark. When Neji went for another hit, Gaara slid his hand between the forehead and tree. Neji curiously looked at him, forehead pressed against Gaara warm skin.

"You'll open your wound," Gaara explained. "I'm not cleaning your blood. Besides, I think you got enough torment now."

"Torment?"

"Had you not made that comment before, we could have just fought with swords," Gaara scolded, tapping Neji's shin with the sword.

The brunet remained silent for a few seconds, looking a bit stunned. "So... you did _this_? Tackling me to the ground, tying me up, and threatening with a sword... because I called you a nerd?"

Gaara nodded.

Neji looked about ready to scream when he simply hit his head against the tree, forgetting that Gaara's hand was still between his forehead and the tree. A bit of pain went through his hand, but it was nothing compared to the look he got from Neji. The boy moved his head just enough to look into Gaara's eyes with a slight smirk. His hair fell over Gaara's wrist as he softly told Gaara, "You're really something."

The moon concentrated its light right onto the redhead, paired with it's low, gentle voice lulling him. He could feel the brunet's stare piercing through his walls and hitting him directly in the heart. Gaara never felt his heart so heavy or so... warm before. There it was in front of him, those goddamn spell charming eyes that caught him in a wild trance. How could such beautiful eyes draw him so easily?

"Gaara?" The low voice called out to him.

_What is it_?

"You're spacing on me again."

_Damn_. Gaara shook his head, trying to get the trance away from him. He pulled his hand from Neji, making him hit his head off the tree. Neji muttered an 'ow,' but didn't get much of a chance to add onto it. Gaara took the sword, lifted it, and sliced through the ropes around the tree. They fell into pieces and made the brunet fall over.

He flipped around like a fish out of water, trying to position himself to look up at Gaara. When he did, he asked, "I thought it was fake!"

"It is."

"How did it cut through the ropes?"

Gaara pointed at the small button on the handle. "Remote controlled rope. They're magnetized pieces that attach to one another. When you press the button on the sword, it sends the rope a signal that causes an electrical charge which temporarily suspends the magnetism, making the rope fall apart. Did I mention we have a marvelous engineering club too?"

"It'd be more marvelous if you'd untie me," Neji said, wiggling to emphasize his point.

Gaara groaned and untied the ropes around his ankles, then his wrists. This began the battle between the redhead and brunet when Neji sprung up and tackled Gaara down, beating his side with the cardboard sword. Gaara pushed him off and ran to the treasure chest to grab another sword. A showdown occurred between the two, trying to stab/hit each other with the foam swords. _At least I get my sword battle_, Gaara thought, dodging one of Neji's stabs. The battle waged until the bell for the period after lunch rang.

"Shit," Neji cursed. He threw the sword into the chest and said, "We have to get going."

Gaara shook his head. "You go. I'll go later."

"Why not?"

"Need to put this back."

"Oh." Neji gave him a small smile and told him, "Good fight, but don't tie me up again."

Gaara felt a strange wave go through his stomach. He averted his eyes from Neji, replying, "No promises."

The brunet didn't add anything as he hoofed it out of the forest. Gaara waited until he couldn't see the flowing hair before carefully sitting down on the ground. He thumbed over the edge of the fake sword, feeling a dull ache in his stomach. Unable to decipher the feeling, he pulled his lips to the side and tried to think of something else. His thoughts somehow focused on what Temari told Kankuro and him this morning. Dinner. With Temari's boyfriend. _Fuck_.

xoxo

_It's sort of strange how I can foresee the future. Not in an existential way, just in the 'I-know-shit-is-gonna-go-down' way, as my friend, Akago, would say it._

His family was nicely sitting at the kitchen table, exchange slight words, brief descriptions of their days, but still watching for their father's subtle reactions. If an eyebrow twitched, he was annoyed. If the lip snarled, he was disgusted. If both eyebrows squeezed together, you had less than three seconds to leave the room before his fist would meet your mouth. If no minute movements occurred, he just didn't care. That was the only thing Neji and his siblings looked for. Unlike Hinata and Hanabi, he refused to share his stories with his father. In his mind, if his father didn't care enough to personally ask how he was, why should he willingly share his life? Besides, a story of being tied to a tree by a midget in a flowy shirt isn't a casual topic to discuss.

_Maybe it's from living with this lifestyle for so long that I've developed a sort of sixth sense about it. I personally had the most years dealing with the abuse. I can just sense when something isn't right, when it's off. There's just something in the air that doesn't settle correctly._

Neji's mother pushed her long hair over her shoulder, sweetly smiling at Hanabi's tale of playing with an abacus. Hinata started to describe her first time with one and how she broke the first row of beads. She started to cry in class, but the teacher forgave her. The three women giggled at this while Hinata and Neji's mother took a quick glance at Hiashi. His eyes were glazed in its usual manner, watching his fork stab at the mashed potatoes. His face was empty of any emotion. This was a good sign.

_It's a bad sign. It's too still. The air, I mean. It's too good to be true. Much like breakfast a few days ago, it's just different, but a bad different. I can't help myself though. Is it bad to be so paranoid? Untrusting to the point that if there's nothing going on, you think something worse is about to happen?_

Neji let out a little sigh, pushing some mashed potatoes in his mouth. He couldn't help the stare that switched from his dinner plate to his father. He wished the intensity of his stare would burn into his flesh, marring him in the same way he hurt his siblings and mother. He wanted him to feel the pain, yet he knew it was an impossible hope. He looked up to his mother who saw his glare towards Hiashi. She shot him a look that told him to settle down. Caution. Yellow light. Warning.

_I know it's cheesy, but, you know that phrase, 'The calm before the storm?' I feel it. I feel it all around me, in my skin, in my muscles, in my bones. Something isn't right and I can't be told otherwise._

Hanabi finished her food and asked to be excused from the table. Her mother nodded, but eyes fell onto father who still poked at his food. He glanced up and muttered a 'whatever.' The little girl stood from the seat with plate in hand, followed by Hinata who offered to wash Hanabi's plate. As she began to stand, her foot got caught on the leg of her chair. Little by little, Neji saw the scene that was unfolding before him. Hinata's body was slowly being pulled downwards into the table while her plate was inches from shattering.

_There's the clap of thunder._

Hinata bashed her face off the edge of the table. The wooden furniture gave a loud squeak against the tiled floor as she fell down. Her dinner plate came crashing onto the middle of the table, near their father's food. A split occurred in the plate, sending slivers of porcelain flying in every direction. Neji covered his eyes and quickly threw his hand over Hanabi's face. He felt a few pieces hit his hand, but he was more frightened of what would happen when he removed it. He peeked over his fingers to see red run through his father's face. The vein in his forehead throbbed lava-hot blood.

_There's the crack of lighting._

The older brunet male slammed his hands on the table, sturdying himself to stand. Neji's mother raised a hand to stop him, but he smacked it out of the way. He stomped around the table towards Hinata's injured body. She looked up with her busted lip, eyes pleading mercy before the hand even rose. Hinata backed away when she saw her father move and hide behind Neji. He reached back and quickly told her to leave. She did so, leaving their menacing father to strike Hinata.

He stared her down a couple of seconds, ensuring she knew of what was to come. Hinata shuddered and curled her legs into her chest. As she tried to duck her head into her arms, Hiashi punched downwards into her shell of protection.

_Here's the explosion._

_Fuck_! Neji inwardly cursed, clutching at his father's fist. He put himself before Hinata and tried to catch the punch. His grip wasn't strong enough, bending Neji's wrist badly and unintentionally backhanding Hinata in the face, but it was better than their father's knuckles. The younger girl rubbed her cheek for a moment, then noticed what Neji had done. Before she could say anything else, Neji was being lifted by his shirt to his feet.

He grabbed at his father's wrist again, growling, "It was an accident. Back off."

Hiashi took him by the throat and slammed him into the fridge behind them. By now, Neji already knew Hinata and his mother left the room. It was one of those unspoken rules: when Neji takes the heat, you leave the kitchen.

"Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do?" His father slurred, fingers tightening around Neji's windpipe.

Neji felt a bit lightheaded, but he couldn't back down. "Don't punch..." He took a moment to wheeze. "My sister, asshole."

_Thud_! Knuckles met Neji's left eyelid in an afflicting affair of pain. Saltwater made it's way down his unharmed eyes, trying to hold in the wail pounding at the back of his teeth. Hiashi's fingers unfurled and let Neji drop in the floor. A red drop ran a path down Neji's sweater as he sat against the refrigerator, almost static. He watched the boot clad feet leave the room and let out a silent cry, pulling his legs to his chest.

_Sometimes it's a curse to foresee the future. You think that with this knowledge of predicting the following events, you could do something to change it, but sometimes you can't. Sometimes it's fate and no matter what you do, things will occur. Fate has it that I will take anything for my sisters and mother. Fate also has it that once I'm out of the house, they're helpless. Isn't fate cruel?_

xoxo

Blue plates were being set around the dining room table, followed by the stuffy, white cloth napkins wrapped around the utensils with the brass rings. In the middle of the rosewood dining table was an elaborate center piece of blue hydrangeas, white lillies, and purple dyed roses. On either side of the center piece were two three-tiered pastry trays. An abundance of small danishes, butter rolls, and macaroons garnished the pink plates, testing Gaara's self control and sweet tooth.

He stuck his hand towards the tray to test the waters. A quick slap of his hand proved there was no way to take a single dollop of sugar. He looked up at his older sister who towered over his lithe body. Her usual blank face had a bit of irritation, perhaps because Gaara had 'tested the waters' about ten times in a row already. He couldn't help it though. The pastel colored goods were tempting his taste buds.

"I think you should go wait in your room until dinner starts," she told him, patting him on the shoulder.

Gaara shook his head. He wanted to be by the pastries. While he wanted to eat them himself, if he left them by themselves, there was a higher chance of Kankuro swooping in and eating them without any after thought. Had Gaara actually saved the marshmellows for Kankuro, he might have left him one or two danishes. _Might being the operative word_.

Temari groaned and puffed at one of her four ponytails. "You're just as stubborn as Kankuro," she muttered.

He lowered the flesh of his former eyebrows, retorting in his head, _Don't compare me to that idiot_.

His older sister recognized his facial immediately, adding, "He's not an idiot, brat. Now get your ass to your room or you might actually be courteous for once in your life and greet our guest." The smug smile on Temari's face made Gaara want to light her hair on fire, but it was the same one that he knew meant she won. She had a point. He might have to say hi to her boyfriend by himself and one on one encounters were avoided at all costs. He sighed in resignation and made his way out of the dining room when he was stopped by Kankuro.

Kankuro's idea of formal clothing was a clean black hoodie with a giant bear paw in the front, his purple cat hood, and the jeans he wore yesterday. His face was free from his strange face paint, but slathered the purple paint on his eyelids. Gaara momentarily thought he got punched in both his eyes. Kankuro gave Gaara a grin, asking, "Are you actually dressed up?"

"Are you?"

He pointed at his clothes, saying, "Clearly."

_The bear paw isn't convincing anyone_.

Kankuro didn't move from the doorway as he shouted to Temari, "Oi! Why are we so dressed up? It's only your boyfriend."

Temari shrugged, polishing the center piece's container. "Father insists we treat every guest like they're important."

"You know your boytoy would just be happy with fast food?"

"You don't think I know that? And he's not my boytoy. I've been with him-"

"Way too long."

"Shut up," Temari snapped. She waved the cloth in the air, saying, "At least I'm dating someone!"

Kankuro crossed his arms and scoffed, "Yeah, like I need a girlfriend."

"Yeah, you do. Someone needs to keep you in line."

"I don't need anyone to keep me in line."

"As if! You're reckless..."

Unknown to either sibling, Gaara had disappeared from the dining room in the middle of their sibling argument. It was the same argument done any time Temari's significant other showed up. _Kankuro needs a girlfriend, Temari is a snob about dating, blah, blah. Just shut up_. He rolled his eyes and went into his room to change clothing.

Just like Temari said, it was always their father that made them dress up for company. And like Kankuro said, it wasn't like Temari's boyfriend would judge them for not presenting some fancy schmancy dinner like Temari was preparing. Most of their dates consisted of fast food joint bouncing. The obligatory fancy dinner was implemented so their father can keep an eye out on if the boyfriend was still even worthy of Temari's time. While Temari approved of him, if father didn't, things would get pretty awkward.

Gaara shook his head at his father's logic and took off his shirt. He reached into his closet to take out a maroon sweater and pulled it over his head and body. He looked down at his jeans and figured they were clean enough. He didn't want to put the effort in _impressing _anyone.

He stuffed the dirty shirt in his hamper and flopped backwards onto his bed, ready to lose himself to his wonderful artwork. Over the weekend, he redecorated part of it, replacing a large cutout poster of a boat with numerous flower pics he cut out from Garden Design magazine. He outline the edges with glitter glue, then overlayed a plastic sheet over them so he could draw over them without damaging the pictures. He was proud of his latest work. Nature without having to leave his room and witness the poor conditions of his actual town.

Gaara gazed at the array of colors and pictures put everywhere on his ceiling, tracing the constellations in his head and developing new ones. At the newest star, he invented 'Bumblebee,' with his mythos as 'the creature that stole the soul of the flowers.' One of the flowers by 'Bumblebee' had angry black flames drawn in sharpie over it to represent the lose of life.

Before he could start to imagine the bee attacking any of the flowers, he heard the chirp of his cellphone go off. He sat up and briefly looked around, trying to remember where he tossed the gray thing. He reached under his bed and pulled out his backpack, discovering the phone. He stared at the phone for a brief moment. From his knowledge, he only knew two people who had his number: Naruto and Neji. There was a higher chance of the blond calling, but if it was Neji... well, it'd be rude not to pick up.

_Here's for the best_.

He lifted up the top and mumbled, "Hello?"

'_Uhm, hey. Th-this is Gaara, right_?' A familiar voice stammered on the other line.

Gaara tilted his head (even though the person on the phone couldn't see him) and answered, "Yeah. Who's this?"

'_It's-It's Neji_.'

"Oh."

'_Look, I_,' Gaara heard the faint pause in his voice and a quick sniffle. '_I don't know if it's too late for you or whatever, but, uhm... fuck, I just need out of my house._'

"...Okay."

A hopeful tone replaced the pitiful one on Neji's part. '_Okay_?'

"Okay," Gaara confirmed. He stared down at his stupid 'formal' sweater and almost smirked. _Now I can get out of this dinner. You have the best timing, Neji_. "Give me ten minutes."

'_Seriously? Thank you so_-'

Gaara hung up. He thought Neji talked too much.

He pulled off the maroon sweater and dove into his closet for a clean t-shirt and an oversized sweater. He put them on, grabbed his black trenchcoat, and walked downstairs, trying to be as casual as he could be. Unfortunately, Gaara stuck out like a sore thumb in the open dining room entrance.

"Gaara!" He heard Temari yell. He froze for a moment out of instinct, but propelled himself forward again, remembering it was his way out of the dinner. "Gaara, where the hell are you going? He's going to be here any second."

"Emergency," Gaara replied, stepping to the front door. He didn't feel like explaining that he made a friend or something. He slid on his sneakers, messily tied them, and reached for the doorknob when the door bell went off.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK_!

Gaara could practically feel the self-righteous grin forming on his sister's mouth. Her aura of arrogance shot wave after wave of supriority through the walls, punching Gaara's pride in the gut.

"Oh, Gaaaaaraaaaaa!" His sister sing-songed. "Get the dooooooor! And say hi!"

The redhead almost wanted to run his skull through the door, but if she wanted him to answer the door, it was going to happen either way. He sighed and pulled it open, mumbling, "Hi."

"Hey," Temari's boyfriend replied in his usual non-chalant tone.

Gaara continued to stare at his guest's shoes: dark gray, Pumas. _Pretty girly shoes_, he joked in his head.

"You gonna let me in or what?"

"What."

"What?"

"You said 'or what?' I answered 'what.' "

"Just move, midget."

"Whatever."

Gaara squeezed between the doorframe and Temari's boyfriend's shoulder and onto the front patio. He heard him ask something about where he was going, but Gaara wasn't going to answer and he most certainly was not eating with that ass.

_I have better things to do than play Happy Family Bonding Time_.

xoxo

Neji sat on the cold curb of his neighbor's house, peeking over his shoulder to make sure they weren't spying through the window or anything. He could tell they were home from the way the lights inside lit up their red curtains. He felt sort of bad that his family had been moved in for about a week and haven't even bothered to say hi to the neighbors. On the other hand, _they_ didn't come over to say hi either. _Guess we're both at fault_.

He sighed and took the risk of lying down on the sidewalk, waiting for Gaara to show up. He wasn't sure if he was going to agree to hanging out so late. Well, it was late to Neji and a somewhat new friendship. They didn't even know each other enough to do half of the strange things Gaara suggested (demanded) them to do. _Brat_.

The dark sky above stared down at Neji, twinkling their stars extra bright tonight. Neji switched his view towards the moon. The white orb shun its moon beams upon Neji, basking him in its light. It was a spotlight, the universal spotlight that focused on his anguish. The world around him knew of his troubled world and instead of helping, it mocked him. It said, '_Look at his black eye, the cut above his lid! The blood, the bruise, the wounds! He is the tortured and let it be known, no matter his attempts, the darkness will take him back again_!'

Neji shut his eyes in hopes to black out the light, slightly regretting reading old plays that made him imagine the moon as an Shakespeare-era, antagonistic thespian.

xoxo

Gaara stared down at the pale body on the sidewalk. He was surprised for two reasons: one being that Neji managed to fall asleep in another strange place and two being the substantial purple and red bruise on his left eye. A small red gash sat under his eyebrow with the crust of dried blood. He wasn't well-dressed for a night time exploration, only wearing a thin gray jacket with dirt stains on the sleeves. Then again, Gaara hadn't seen Neji wear anything that was suitable for the evergrowing chill of autumn. He shook the thoughts of out his head. Who was he to care about the boy's fashion choices? If he wanted to freeze, let him.

He crouched down next to the still body to examine the eye closer. It look pretty fresh, even a bit swollen. He let his eyes drift to the boy's chest to make sure it was still moving. Very slowly it rose and fell back into place. He was tempted to put his hand on his ribs to feel them again, but it was best not to mess with an unconscious body. Any sort of touch or movement would disturb the mental state, causing an reflexive motion or awaken them suddenly, scaring the life out of them. However, with this knowledge in mind, Gaara still wanted to touch the eye wound. Much like a typical teenager, when he's told 'no,' he wants to do it even more. This was one of those moments. His mind was screaming, _You're going to freak out Neji_. But the adolescent in his heart told his mind to fuck off.

Gaara stretched out his hand, slowly reaching towards Neji's eye. When he was close enough, he tried to mollify the tension in his hand so his fingers wouldn't suddenly jerk upon contact. Gingerly, he placed his pointer finger onto the underside of Neji's eye. Not seeing a reaction in Neji's face, he settled his three other fingers beside his eye. He noted the spongey texture of the bruise, indicting it had to be newly placed. He was curious to know what caused the wound. It looked like he got punched and didn't even try to dodge it.

He traced the waterline of Neji's eyes with his pointer finger for a brief second before a stir in Neji occurred. He jerked his hand back and stood up, taking two steps away from the brunet's body. He watched the boy slowly begin to stretch as he awoke from his rest. His eyes were opened and found their way from Gaara's shadow up to him.

Neji rubbed the temple of his head and asked, "Gaara?"

xoxo

Neji walked behind Gaara, letting the redhead steer them towards their destination. So far, all it has been is walking towards the center of the town like Neji had done Saturday. If Neji wanted a tour of the town, he would have asked for one, but he had a feeling Gaara wasn't simply allowing Neji to sightsee. That'd be too normal for him. He honestly didn't care where Gaara took him, he just couldn't stand to be home. He had the alarming feeling of dread emersing in his body. The house was suffocating him and he needed the fresh air.

Surprisingly, Gaara hadn't said anything about his eye. Neji was sure that it looked rather nasty by now even with all the icing down he had done. Regardless of its state, the redhead stared at him blankly like every time and just told Neji to stand up and follow him.

_Where to_? He had asked.

Gaara told him, _Where I go_.

_And where are you going_? He asked.

_Wherever I want_.

Clearly that was a discussion Neji would not win.

The town center was rather captivating at night though. The glow from the streetlights lit up the sidewalk that apparently had pieces of glass mixed in with it. The businesses he had past before had their front lights on, making painted doorways stand out even more. The red of the motorcycle club still intimidated Neji though. He shivered and continued to follow Gaara. After they passed the smaller businesses, Gaara led him to the intersection in front of city hall. The fountain was still running, spurting water from the top and the two lower tiers with lights shining from the bottom. Neji wanted to see it up close and it seemed Gaara read his mind again.

The redhead waited until there was a green light on the crosswalk and grabbed Neji's wrist, jogging towards the fountain. When they reached it, the lights from the fountain shut off.

_Aww, not fair_, Neji whined in his head, leaning over the ledge of the fountain to peer down. Only from the light of the church behind him he was able to see a few quarters that sat at the bottom of the water. He frowned at the liquid in disappointment.

"Take off your shoes."

Neji looked up from the water in surprise and turned his head to Gaara. He was on one foot, tugging his right sneaker off along with his sock. He switched feet and repeated it, then took off his trench coat.

"Why should I?" Neji inquired. While there was a part of him that was curious why he should, there was the other part of him that worried that the redhead would make him do something illegal again.

Gaara ignored him and put his sneakers next to the fountain, laying his coat over them. He sat on the spot beside Neji's crouched position and spun around on it. He now faced the water fountain and dunked his feet into the pool, wiggling his toes.

Neji was tempted to ask if it was okay to do that, but Gaara could care less. He sighed, knowing he'd have to do it either way. He pulled off his sneakers and his socks and sat beside Gaara. He put his feet in the water and pulled them back just as quick.

"Damn, that's cold!" Neji yelled, rubbing his feet back to warmth.

Gaara shrugged and started to kick a bit. "It's night time. Of course it'll be cold. Don't wuss out, there's two more minutes."

"Two minutes until what?"

"You'll see."

_You and your mysteries_. Neji put his feet back into the ice water, biting his lip to distract from the chill. His limbs grew accustomed to it fast though. The two minute wait for whatever Gaara had in store had begun. A comfortable silence settled between the two boys, muddied by the sounds of traffic. The headlights of the vehicles were like fireflies, circling the fountain and lighting up the darkness.

Finally, the mysterious event the two had been waiting for started. The water to the fountain shut off for a moment. Neji raised an eyebrow, unsure why it occurred, but then it restarted with a flood of tinted water. Each tier of the fountain had its own color with the top being a lush, deep pink. A firetruck red illuminated the middle tier and the bottom tier was lit up with a light eggplant purple. The shallow pool where Gaara's and Neji's feet rested glowed a deep purple as if they were stepping on grapes to make wine. The reflecting lights created a purple haze on their skin to much of Neji's amusement.

_I feel like I'm in 'Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory_,' he thought, smiling to himself as he inspected the new tint of his flesh. He scoped out Gaara's reaction to the mesmerizing sight and was a bit surprised to see the sliver of glee that danced in his eyes. Neji could imagine the waves in the redhead's blue eyes sliding up the coast and retracting gently, leaving a foamy film along the sand. An absolute calm.

A couple minutes passed with the two watching the fountain pour out its colorful liquid in a trance. Or at least Neji believed it was until he felt a shift beside him. Gaara seemed to siddle up beside the brunet much like this morning on the bus. He could feel the heat of the redhead's upper arm combining with his, even through Neji's jacket. _Then again, this jacket is thin_, he remembered.

"The colors change every hour," Gaara's raspy voice cut in. He cleared his throat, adding, "Only analogous colors. Goes through them three at a time until the default."

Neji smiled, complimenting, "Pretty amazing."

Gaara took a deep breath and let out a breathy, "Yeah."

The brunet took a quick glance at the redhead to see if he still had a glazed look in his eyes, but was met with Gaara's blank stare looking back at him. He almost jumped upon eye contact. He didn't expect Gaara to be looking at him either.

Gaara opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, then he closed it. A series of minute, awkward movements in his lips, he opened his mouth again and told Neji, "You should dodge next time."

It took a moment to realize what Gaara meant, but when it registered, he felt a rush of embarrassment and anger flow through him.

_Direct hit to my heart: wish I could have dodged that, jerk_, Neji inwardly growled. He tried not to let it show on his face that he didn't like Gaara's comment, but it was like the redhead was a mirror. When Neji's smile fell, so did Gaara's with his usual, odd head tilt. He felt a bit vulnerable when Gaara stared at him. He really felt like the boy could read through him and he hoped he wasn't that easy to read.

Gaara's frown took full form, still lacking any emotion to his eyes, as he murmured, "I'm sorry."

_What for? Unintentionally harming me or being a jerk most of the time_?

The blue eyes found a new home at the redhead's kneecaps when he answered, "Both."

_Fucking. Mind. Reader_.

Neji sighed to himself, trying to air out any bad feelings. It wasn't Gaara's fault. He didn't know he struck a sensitive nerve, so he couldn't throw any attitude at him.

"No, it's okay. You didn't know."

"...Does it hurt?"

"A bit," Neji admitted. It had been stinging the entire time of being outside, but he wasn't going to reveal that. It'd be a reason to have to stay home.

Before he could have a moment to settle his feelings, he jumped a bit when he felt something crawl on his hand. His eyes shot down to his lap in fear, however, it was in vain. It wasn't a night time creepy crawly, it was fragile, lavender-tinted fingers drifting over his own. Neji tried not to shut his eyes. He hated how easy he could be lost in gentle touches. When Gaara had his way with his ribs, he was lost in the bliss of a reassuring touch. Having sensitive hands was nothing to be proud of. Neji tried to take a peak at Gaara to interpret what he was doing, but the redhead's skull hung down, staring at his knees still. After tracing the knuckles of each of Neji's fingers with his fingertips, they danced around the waist of his hand until taking a firm hold. Neji tried to fight down the blush coming towards his face.

Gaara was holding his hand.

_What is happening, Brain?_

_Same question here, Heart._

Neji was pretty sure his face was flushed when he looked over at Gaara. He raised his head from his lap and met Neji's eyes again. The redhead shot Neji a look that seemed most familiar to sympathy. He pulled one side of his lip to the side, making a somewhat straight line and flattened the flesh of his eyebrow. It was the international sign for '_Life sucks, right_?' The brunet returned it. _Yeah, it totally does_.

Gaara gave Neji a quick squeeze of his hand, but still didn't let go. Neji didn't have a problem with it though. It was sort of comforting to have someone on his side that somewhat understood his lifestyle.

_Note to self, next time, I need to ask questions about him_.

They spent a few more minutes watching the fountain before deciding they needed to return to their respective homes. They pulled on their belongings and relinked hands, running across the intersection in a hurry. Despite the dozens of headlights that almost struck them (since Gaara never heeded the cross walk lights), Neji felt sort of safe with his hand wrapped tight around the redhead's. There was something in his palms that felt magnetized, that Neji didn't want to pull away. Gaara didn't try to either. In a quiet still, they made their way to Neji's home, letting the sound of trees rustling fill the silence.

When they arrived to his fake home, Gaara gave him a lopsided smile for a brief second. Neji took this as _'Hope you had fun_.'

Neji gave Gaara a genuine smile and squeezed his hand as he pulled away. The brunet wasn't sure if he saw a bit of disappointment in the redhead's face, but he let go too. They turned their backs to one another and made their separate ways.

_Thanks, Gaara._

xoxo

_Have you seen the way the Moon brightens the Sea's mood? He steadies the tides and stills the waves, but he doesn't see the Sea, does he? No, he only sees the surface. He can't make out the shadows that masks the Sea's heart. Why can't you see, Moon? Why can't you get closer?..._

_(You're welcome, Neji.)_

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><p>* <em>Doric<em> is a type of column style that categorized by its simplistic cylindrical form and plain geometric base and top. (Think about the columns from the Parthenon in Rome.)

Pardon my use of architectural vocabulary. It wouldn't usually use it, but we went over Grecian architecture in my "Introduction to Art" class and it's a common structure that's found in most old, political buildings including the White House. (Even them, the White House has more of an ionic design up top, but I digress.)

1.) Have you tried strawberries with sugar? No, legitimately, strawberries dipped in sugar is the best thing ever. It tastes just like candy. The sugar absorbs the super acidic/sweet juice of the strawberry and replaces it with a total candy taste. It's spectacular. All you do is bite the strawberry to expose the inside, dip it in the sugar, and voila: AMAZINGNESS. It's sort of an obsession of mine since I only found out about it this summer and everyone's like, "You've never ate it before?" and I'm like, "_You're looking at a potential scurvy recipient, you think I tried it_?" (Ooh, more pirate stuffs.) I RAMBLE TOO MUCH.

Oh, also, I **re-uploaded** Chapter One (no actual edits to the content itself) and added more information about the fanfiction because, well, reasons explained in Chapter One :)

Wow, that was a lot of unnecessary chatter. Uhm, yeah. So, here's your update. Much longer than usual, but hey! More Neji and Gaara stuffs haha. Been crazy busy with my EDU-MA-CATION (I think you can tell I'm learning a lot in school). Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are nice.

**Update** coming your way sometime in May. Happy reading!


	7. Troublemaker

**A/N: **First off, holy hell this is incredibly late compared to my usual updates. I'll be honest, I finished my classes on the 7th and instead of using the time to finish up on my various fanfics, I've been lounging in bed, sleeping, looking at comics, and eating ramen like a crazed woman. Fo' shizz, I've taken advantage of my new time and done almost nothing with it. I feel incredibly bad. I know very few people actually seem to read this thang, but for those who do, I feel like betray you haha

Anywhoodles, I managed to get this done even if it's late. I wrote it much different than what I originally plotted. Oh wells.

To my anonymous reviewers (since I can't PM y'all)

**Rogue AI not signed in**: Aww, you're totally sweet :) eeeee love long reviews 3 Okay, ignore the momentary dweebiness. Not sure why I don't have more reviews. Maybe because of laziness (I tend to do it with stories I'm watching too haha), but probably because my story is a little more _out there_ instead of a mainstream high school fanfic. Moving on, I'm glad you like all the imagery, descriptions, characters, etc. I love creating worlds and I want this story to be a bit different from other stuff I read. That's all haha. My imagination is... imaginative XD haha Anywhoodles, thanks for reviewing!

**meow cat**: I've had strawberries and whipped cream before, but I still prefer strawberries and sugar. I DO eat blueberries with whipped cream though, the tub kind since it's easier to scoop a spoon into the cream then top it off with blueberries haha. Thanks for reviewing, glad you like it :)

**she say cry cry**: HERE IS YOUR UPDATE! :D haha. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Okay, onward with le story!

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><p><span>Troublemaker<span>

Boundless fields of green zoomed past the driver's eyes as he pressed harder on the accelerator pedal. The engine grew louder, the speedometer needle shot up, and the driver found himself hitting eighty on the empty country side road. He cruised past acres of farm land, sending wave after wave of wind to shake up the wheat grains. The outside might have looked fast, but inside, it felt comfortable, cozy. The driver had no passengers to worry about and a full tank of gas to ensure a straight shot to his destination. Where was his destination? Well, as cliche as it was, it was wherever the road took him. So, it was just him and the road: driving into the sunset, leaving everything behind.

Or at least Gaara imagined this happening from the passenger seat of the family car. Kankuro promised Gaara he'd let him drive to get in some permit hours, but he should have known it was a clever trick. Kankuro is a wheel-hog. He always drives if he's in a car with other people. Plus, he didn't have the patience to teach him to drive. Correction, he lacked the teaching ability to teach Gaara how to drive. It's hard to take the driving teacher seriously when he spends five minutes laughing at the student because he has to crank the seat lift almost to the top. _Not my fault we have a fucking Range Rover instead of a normal car._

He was sure he looked like a bratty kid with his arms crossed, glaring out the windshield. The theory was proven correct when Kankuro leaned over the gear shift and pinched Gaara's face. The redhead tried to smack his hands away, but to no avail. Kankuro had pincer claws for fingers.

"Awww, don't be so upset, Gaara. You'll get a chance to drive some day," he cooed in a childish voice. _Condesending ass._

Kankuro released his hold of Gaara's cheeks and ignored the death glare his little brother shot him. He turned on the car, put it in reverse, and began to back out the drive way, braking for the car gate to open. When the opening was wide enough, the cat-boy backed up and straightened on the main road, shifting into drive and heading to school.

His older brother appeared to ignore Gaara for most of the ride which was fine. He wasn't in the mood for conversation, i.e. Kankuro points out Gaara's "problems," Gaara takes it. He was hoping Kankuro would just treat this car ride like he usually does: treating Gaara like an annoying little brother instead of a sensitive, basketcase like their sister did. It was only when they were with their sister that he acted like he cared so deeply for the redhead's well being. It was one of the few things Gaara could keep respecting him for.

"Naruto told me he called you last week," Kankuro said, interrupting the silence.

_There goes my peace._

"He said you hung up immediately." Kankuro paused and waited for a response, but Gaara wasn't doing this. Not this morning.

There were very few things that Gaara made clear before his break down of communication, about his eating habits, the way he spoke, and especially bringing up items of the past that were meant to stay in the past, such as Naruto. Just because the blond idiot wanted to interact with Kankuro didn't mean he had to be any part of it.

"You gave him my number." It wasn't a question, it was fact. Kankuro saw it as a 'tragedy' when the two boys parted and took Naruto's side naturally. Of course he'd do anything for the boy who had his 'heartbroken,' including giving up Gaara's cell number.

Kankuro smirked. "So?"

"You did it on purpose," Gaara told him.

"So?"

"...You're a bad excuse for a brother."

"Is that supposed to hurt me?"

"Did it?"

"Not in the least," Kankuro chirped, grin stretching along his jaw. The only person Gaara knew who would be proud of being called a poor brother. While Gaara still appreciated their normal banter, Naruto was still in the topic, so he couldn't evade the inevitable question.

"When are you two going to make up?"

Gaara crossed his arms again and looked out the window, trying to focus on anything but what was happening at the moment. "There's nothing to make up."

Kankuro scoffed. "Nothing to make up? Do you see how much he begs for you back?"

"You mean stalking me? Not convincing," Gaara retorted. He didn't want to talk about it. Naruto was the past, but _god damn _Kakuro, he was more stubborn than Gaara.

"Give him a chance."

An uncomfortable still took over the original silence. It was an eerily calm that slowly simmered with the redhead's anger. Gaara couldn't believe it. Did he really say, 'Give him a chance?' After all the bullshit that occurred in the last few years, he wants Gaara to turn around and act like nothing fucking happened?

His normal aloof facade shattered when he reached for the emergency brake and slammed it down, jerking the Rover to a screeching halt. Kankuro and Gaara were propelled forward from the force, but stayed in place thanks to the seatbelts.

Kankuro turned to Gaara, yelling, "What the fuck, Gaara?"

He didn't bother to respond to his brother's outburst. He unbuckled his seatbelt, grabbed his backpack, and opened the car door.

"What are you doing? Get in the freaking car!" His brother called out, trying to wave him over.

His actions were brushed off by the redhead who already began walking on the sidewalk away from the Range Rover. He didn't want to be anywhere near Kankuro if he was to spout off nonsense about Naruto and him. The only ones who knew the truth were Naruto, Gaara, and Temari's boyfriend, nobody else understood, including Kankuro. Even so, Naruto was continuing his nagging behavior, trying to contact Gaara. At least Temari's boyfriend had respected Gaara enough to leave him alone. _No wonder Kankuro and Naruto were almost best friends, they're fucking idiots_.

Gaara saw the Range Rover slowly creep beside the curb from the corner of his eye, trying to stay at the same pace the redhead walked. He didn't care how long Kankuro would follow him, he wasn't getting back into the car.

Kankuro trailed beside Gaara the entire walk to school, trying to coax him into getting into the car, but Gaara wasn't having any of it. He gave the cold shoulder to his brother and stared at tree tops in occupy himself. It might have been immature, but there was a point to his anger, even if Kankuro didn't fully understand it.

He never could. He wasn't in Gaara's shoes years ago.

xoxo

Neji sighed as he attempted to take notes in his chemistry class. The teacher was spouting off some nonsense about conjugate bases and acids that Neji was a bit confused on. Sciences were never his strong suit in school despite the B's he's maintained for the last few years. He worked hard to earn those grades, including taking out basic science books from the local library to brush up at home with. Chemistry, this was a whole new language of science.

Accustomed to biology, environmental sciences, and physics, chemistry was essentially Latin. Chemistry wasn't an offered class back in his old school, so they never went over any chemistry terms. In this new school, you needed it to graduate. _Ridiculous. And add on the fact I'm in school a month late. This is so unfair,_ Neji thought, frowning into the hand he was leaning on while his right hand sloppily jotted down things that made sense. Through the seas of letters, numbers, and strange equations, he found himself drowning in this information. Neji was pretty sure he was going to pass this class with a D, minimum.

The instructor paused and pulled down the projector screen from the white board. He walked over to door, flicked off the light, and came back over to line up the projector to the screen. The other students used this brief window of non-learning to talk amongst themselves. A few murmurs were exchanged from behind him where he overheard a few words like 'chemistry sucks,' 'new kid,' and 'hey.' The 'hey' was repeated a few times before Neji realized it was probably to him.

Neji looked over his shoulder briefly to see Kiba and a hooded boy staring at him with weird smiles on their faces. He was sure this wasn't going to be pretty.

"Hey, I want you to meet my friend, Kankuro," Kiba told Neji, motioning towards the hooded guy.

Neji turned further around and caught a better look of the guy. He was... interesting. A black hood that looked like a cat sat on his head, wearing purple face paint that looked like he was from a kabuki theatre show. Not that Neji would tell that comment to the boy to his face. His physique looked rather strong and he didn't want to risk a second black eye for calling him Koshiro Matsumoto(1).

He saw a hand lift and he winced instinctively, but saw the guy was holding his hand out to shake. Neji looked at the hand and up to the guy. A large smile on his face spread as he introduced himself. "Yo, I'm Kankuro."

Neji gave him a half smile and took his hand, attempting a firm grasp. "Neji," he stated. This Kankuro guy gave him a hard shake that probably turned Neji's hand into mush. He hated being such a weakling.

Kankuro let go of his hand and asked, "How'd you get the shiner?"

"I tripped," he told the kabuki boy. There was no need to explain the actual truth of father's _love_.

Kiba let out a strange pig snort before interjecting, "Who the hell gets a black eye from tripping?"

Neji lowered his eyebrows at the dog boy. He wasn't in any mood to get bullshit from people, but he had to continue the lie regardless. "Someone who lands on a rock face first?"

That shut the guy up and earned a chuckle from Kankuro. "Not so lucky, huh?" The kabuki boy asked.

"Nope," Neji admitted. _You have no idea._

Before anyone was able to spit out a word, the teacher had the board notes ready. Kiba and Kankuro gave Neji a quick wave as he turned around ready to take these chemistry notes. As the light of the projector flickered on, his interest in this science class flickered off.

_I hate science._

xoxo

To Gaara's amazement, he saw flowers. Not that flowers were something extremely surprising to see, but the fact that there was a small bundle sticking out of ground from the pathway to the Majestic Forest. Flowers _never_ grew in the Majestic Forest (or in the forest in general), yet these small little bundle of dandelions sat at the base of a random tree along the way, practically waving at Gaara to come over and look. The moment Gaara caught sight of the color, he walked over and knelt before the tiny flora. They were little suns and Gaara wanted to pick them and take them home.

His fingers danced around the stems of the flowers, debating whether or not to pluck them from the cold dirt. There was a high possibility the flowers would just die if he took them home. There was also a possibility of the flowers dying in the forest since the foliage is typically too thick for sunlight to poke through. That's why it's even amazing the flowers had grown here. The redhead sighed. Unable to come up with a conclusion, he plucked a few petals from a single flower and pressed them into the dirt, hoping the pollen would settle in and grow some more flowers. He hadn't paid much attention to biology, so he couldn't remember the specific ways flowers spread their seeds around. As he stood, he looked down the path, seeing the boring brown, green, and gray coloring without a spark of color.

Gaara smiled to himself, thinking of how he could change that.

xoxo

Neji's fingers skimmed over the note Gaara flicked over at him when he was in the middle of reading aloud. Gaara was lucky that Neji didn't stop or make a strange noise upon taking a paper football to the face _again_. The moment he was done with the reading, Neji shot the redhead an angry look, but he was too busy 'reading' the _Lolita_ book. The brunet sighed and opened the football to see the small letters:

_After lunch, we're skipping._

He scoffed at the mere idea of skipping school. He wasn't going to do that. He wasn't as much as a goody-goody as he was eager to get away from his house. Sure, skipping would still keep him away, but what if an adult recognized either Gaara or Neji? They'd be sent back to school with a phone call that would lead to more pretty bruises on his body. Neji wasn't going to risk it, not for any superficial reason Gaara probably had for it. He scribbled a quick 'no,' folded it in a square, and tossed it onto Gaara's desk. He heard the crumpling sounds of paper, some pencil scribbles, an even longer moment of paper crumpling, and the soft noise of the football on his desk. Neji opened the note and read:

_Coward._

Neji growled as his eyes reached the ending period. He heard a quiet snort from beside him and looked to his right. Sasuke gave him a strange, but amused smirk, mouthing something he didn't understand. When he attempted to ask what he said, Sasuke simply waved his hand as in 'forget about it' and went back to the book, still softly chuckling to himself. Neji continued to stare at Sasuke who continued to ignore the boy's look. The brunet always felt uncomfortable with any interactions with Sasuke. It always ended with Neji feeling absolutely lost with what just happened or being made fun of. One of these days, he was going to have to confront Sasuke on his own weird personality.

He rolled his eyes and furiously scribbled, 'Am not' into the note and tossed it to Gaara. He got back:

_You are. We'll be back for last period._

The brunet paused, wondering if Gaara was purposely coming back to school for Neji's sake or if he had an attendence record he was supposed to maintain. Back in Neji's old school, if you missed the equivalent of a month of school, you could fail the entire year. Maybe Gaara had that to deal with. From what he seems like, he does skip classes a lot. Was he even passing?

Neji must have taken too long when he received a second paper football:

_You have no say in the matter. You're coming with._

And so his fate was decided without any concern of how Neji was feeling about it. No, all that matters is the midget's concern with whatever reason they were skipping class. Neji sighed and looked over to Gaara who continued to draw with Sharpie in his novel. It was hard to believe such a demanding brat could have been kind enough to hold his ha-

Neji felt his face blush from the thought of the previous night. It was so odd and sort of sweet with the two of them together, holding hands and watching a water fountain. He never expected anything like that from Gaara. _I never expected myself to be cool with him _holding_ my hand._ That was a special occasion, that's all. Absolutely nothing attached to it other than pity for Neji's fucked up eye.

He looked over to the redhead once more only to catch him looking Neji too. He drifted his eyes away for a second and looked back over. Gaara gave him the same half smile from the night before and turned towards his colorful book, drawing a large pink swirl around the next chapter's number.

_Yep. It meant nothing._

xoxo

Heading towards the cafeteria from Gaara's fifth period class was a tricky procedure including a lot of left turns and three staircases to the first floor. Between those left turns, there was one hallway he had to avoid and that was the freshman science hallway. Although it was a freshman hallway, the administration thought it'd be a smart idea to place excess sophomores and juniors in there for lockers. While logically a good idea, it was poor in actual planning. Sophomores and juniors liked to fuck around with the freshman since they're newbies and now there's permanently placed students ready to stick their feet out and trip brats when the bells ring. Don't be mistaken, Gaara isn't a freshman, but he disliked the hallway because as a surplus junior, an annoying stalker blond was placed there. The freshman science hallway was meant to be avoided at all costs.

For the first month of school, this seemed to be no problem, but at this current moment, a fight in the main hallway clogged up the entrance to the staircase, meaning Gaara would either have to squeeze through the crowd, into the fight, miss getting punched, just to go to eat. Or turn to the science hallway, run, and hope that a certain blond isn't putting his books away at that exact moment. The first one seemed to be the better choice, yet as he tried to squeeze through, more people backed up behind him, compressing him into the backs of other students who were cheering on this stupid fight.

_Quit fucking touching me!_, he screamed in his head, but he didn't want to yell at people. He didn't want their attention on him. He just wanted to be left alone. Gaara turned around and jutted his elbow into the bodies surrounding him. The students on the side slowly made a path and filled it up again as soon as Gaara passed through.

When he broke through the throng, he walked where several other students were heading, the freshman science hallway. He made his way towards it, silently pleading for the absence of a certain blond. Since he didn't take the bus this morning and skipped math, he wasn't sure if he was at school or not. He slid in a spot behind a tall student and used him as an indirect shield while he and the other students strolled through the hallway.

The dimly lit glass displays added a peculiar hazy glow to the hallway compared to the dull lighting of the overhead lights. The shadows from people's bodies were lighter and scattered into different places. Gaara wished he could actually appreciate the sight by stopping and staring at the bundles of shadows drifting past the lockers, but he had a goal of getting to lunch and avoiding Naruto at all costs.

Inevitably, this plan was immediately ruined when a familiar glob of sunshine blond hair popped up in his sight. Gaara ducked behind the tall student, pressing himself closer to this person than he would ever allow normally. This was an exception to his self laid rule of 'personal space,' he had to get away from the blond before he tried something that would make them interact.

The shield worked until the tall person made a sudden turn into a classroom, leaving Gaara to fend for himself. He squeezed past a bunch of freshman standing in the middle of the hallway and tried to walk faster, only be slowed down by slow walking girls. He let out a defeated groan. _I hate freshmen so much. You've been in school for two months already, you know where to go!,_ he nagged in his head.

"Gaara," a voice called out to him.

A shiver ran up his spine when he recognized the voice. He had been spotted and lacked an escape route. While Gaara liked his 'personal space' rule, desperate times called for desperate measures. He shouldered through the pack of girls, ignoring their bratty comments about 'rude' and 'asshole' as he tried to speed up his walk. He refused to look behind him because he knew the face that was following him. He didn't want to see it and he wasn't going to deal with it, no matter how many times his name was called.

"Gaara! Hey, wait!" the frantic voice called for him.

The redhead heard the steps behind him grow faster and heavier. He was determined to get Gaara's attention, but Gaara wasn't going to give in to the voice's demands. He promised himself to keep his distance from the voice and it was going to stay that way. That was a part of his past he wanted nothing to do with anymore. Yet the voice continued to call out for him. He took a few quick turns in the hallways, trying to lose the voice. It echoed behind him as he dodged the blurred figures of people in the hallway. He found the staircase and took them down as fast as he could without falling on his face, yet the voice kept calling out for him.

_Get away from me, just go away,_ Gaara told the voice, but it followed him. The redhead shoved through a group of kids in front of the cafeteria entrance, hoping to lose him in the crowd.

"Hey, I'm talking to y- hey, move it! Gaara, hold on!" The voice continued to call out. Clearly, the crowd was holding him back. It was the perfect diversion before Gaara could find his home base where he was safe from the voice's actions.

Gaara quickly looked around before moving towards the lunch line, passing the multiple tables where Kankuro could have been sitting at. Kankuro hardly interacted with Gaara in school, but when he did, it was rather embarrassing. The redhead moved to the left, circling around a table to distance himself from the potential encounter with his older brother before reaching the line.

He saw Neji at the register already, handing the cashier a dollar. Gaara walked up to him and got spotted by the strange-eyed boy.

Neji tilted his head and asked, "Where were you? I was going to go sit with Sasuke at his table."

Gaara tugged his sleeves over his hands, quickly looking behind him for the blond, and replied, "Traffic. Wait for me."

He didn't wait for Neji's answer as he walked through lunch line past people. He went to the dessert bar, grabbed a napkin, and took the biggest cookie. Once he grabbed a carton of milk, he popped it into his pocket, skipped the people in the paying line, and just handed the cashier two quarters.

Neji stared at Gaara strangely and asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

_I'm fucking fantastic. My stalker has been following me for three floors, I've had to touch fifteen different people trying to escape him, I ran down flights of stairs that could have resulted in cracking my skull, my chest is on fucking fire from the sudden use of exercise, and I have a crazy-eyed coward asking me if _I'm_ fine? Yeah, I'm doing wonderfully._

Rather than saying all of that with heavy sarcasm, he slid his arm through Neji's right arm, muttering, "I'm fine. Lets go."

He tugged at Neji's arm and they began to walk across the cafeteria. Gaara continued to search for the blond, hoping he was at the lunch line or outside with the pink girl. As long as Neji was beside him, Naruto wouldn't dare confront him. Despite the brunet's uselessness, he made an excellent repellent from potential encounters from people from the past.

"Uhm, Gaara?" Neji started, arm wiggled in his hold.

Gaara tightened it and asked,"What?"

"Do we have to walk like this?"

"Ghost ability through physical contact, remember?"

"Oh... okay."

Gaara rolled his eyes and stepped in front of Neji to open the door to the courtyard. Neji walked through and waited for Gaara who slid his arm back through and walked towards Iruka's non-attentive eyes. Gaara looked over to the left to see if Naruto was there. He was with a baggy lunch, staring at Neji and him with his big, fat, sad blue eyes. If Gaara actually liked smiling, he would have gave him a sadistic smirk. Instead, he placed his head on Neji's arm to hide from the boy's sight, stepping onto the field to the forest.

xoxo

Within the time span of stepping into the picnic area to finishing his lunch, Neji had been coerced into traveling through the depths of the dense forest for the very simple task of purchasing something at a nearby market. Neji tried to think long and hard about how exactly this brat managed to convince him to skip his last classes for this meaningless trip. The results consisted of threatening commands from the redhead, a scolding from Neji about him being an 'insufferable brat,' then a lighter demand with in a slight apologetic tone. Matching up to the kinder request, Gaara paired it with what was his version of 'puppy eyes.' Neji would be more apt to call them 'demon eyes.' He simply stood before Neji with his oceanic eyes, staring at the brunet boy with no words, no actions, not a single hint of emotion. Perhaps it was to appease the kid from relentlessly creeping him the fuck out, but Neji agreed to the chore of 'picking something up.'

In true Gaara fashion, when asked about this sudden urge to go into town, he spared few words to the curious companion.

"To buy something."

With this, Neji rolled his eyes, reiterating, "Clearly. What _are_ you purchasing?"

"Something."

He let out mangled sound between a sigh and a desperate groan of hopelessness. "Okay, if you wish to evade that question, let me ask a different one. Why do I need to come with you?"

"I need you to help me afterward."

"With what?"

"What I'm buying."

"Which is?"

"Something."

In response to his usual question evasion, Neji simply shut up. There was no point in trying to crowbar answers from the redhead's mouth. They would come about when they neared the destination or once the harbored item is in his hands. Despite all of Neji's internal instincts screaming at him to scream at the brat for being the most insolent person he ever met, it would be of no use. Gaara seemed quite independent of himself and probably wouldn't care if he lost Neji as a 'friend' or whatever the hell type of term could be used for this dysfunctional companionship.

He never dealt with people like this back in Konoha City. It was black and white: you like a person or you dislike a person, there wasn't an inbetween. You hung out with the people you liked and you ignored the people you didn't and that was the end of that. The only time of peace between the two were the parties and even then, people didn't talk outside of their little groups until everyone was under the influence of something.

In spite of his current personality and appearance, Neji was quite a party kid back in Konoha City. This didn't come to be immediately though, it took years of his friends prying into his life and trying to cheer him up from the bullcrap he dealt with at home. He wasn't fully alone in the fucked up home department, his best friend Akago suffered through things like that too. His mother was a druggie and his father liked to stay out after work to play with street hookers which left him to fend for himself most of the time. Unfortunately, his way of dealing with life was drinking away his pain like Neji's father. In a strange deal, Neji promised Akago he'd come out of his shell if he stopped the drinking. What Akago wanted in return however was much different than Neji thought.

"FWB," Akago told Neji with a smile that could only be described as insidious.

Neji shuffled in Akago's strange bean bag chair and asked, "FWB?"

"Friends With Benefits. Don't tell me you're _that_ out of the loop?" Akago replied, chuckling at his own little snap.

Neji wasn't. He heard stories about 'FWB' before, but it never really connected until his purple-haired friend provided its definition. Akago's other hoodlum friends frequented the term 'FWB' around Neji. Unfamiliar with the actual meaning, Neji simply smiled and nodded. In this instance, Neji really hoped that Akago was messing with him and didn't truly want to _mess_ with him.

He tried to play it off and laughed, asking, "Are you serious? Come on, tell me what you really want."

The insidious smile only brightened. "You don't want me to be specfic."

This killed Neji's laughter immediately. Surely Akago wasn't implying what Neji was thinking.

Akago stood up from his bed and sat before Neji's bean bag chair, eyes surveying the brunet's body like a rare collectible collector, scruntizing for the details.

Neji swallowed, stammering, "Uhm, hey, uh, look, seriously, you can have something else. W-what else do you want? I can give you my Playstation 2 o-or something?" He tried to back up on the bean bag chair, but the beans slipped forward under his weight and he found himself with his legs on the chair and his back on the hardwood floor.

The purple-haired boy climbed on top of the beanbag and smiled, informing him, "Stupid, why the hell would I want your Playstation? I was the one who bought it for you."

Neji tsked at him as he sat up and asked him, "Stupid, why the hell would you want 'benefits' with me?"

It wasn't until Akago leaned forward that Neji noticed how close they were to each other with Akago essentially between his legs and a five-inch gap between their faces. He could see his reflection in the boy's lip ring.

"I can't drink anymore. I have to take my aggression on something else now," Akago explained, voice simmering to a dark, hushed tone that Neji was pretty sure was not appropriate for their friendship.

Neji shook his head, replying, "And what makes you think that I'm up for your offer? Hopefully, you're not assuming just because I'm half-gay, right? I didn't even know you swung that way."

Any amusement that was present in Akago's face died off with his stare twisting into a hard glare. "I'm not gay."

The brunet raised an eyebrow, asking, "How can you not be when you're asking to fuck me?"

Neji's body was shoved back onto the floor with his shirt gripped in Akago's fist. The purple-haired boy pulled him up again and slammed him back to the floor, making sure Neji's head made contact to it. As Neji's head spun from the force, he heard him growl, "I'm not fucking asking. Do it or I'll drink myself into a goddamn alcoholic spiral that will even make Kerouac(2) turn in his grave."

With Akago's fist pressed into his chest, an disoriented mental state, and the menacing, gray eyed stare of a volatile teenager above him, Neji felt he had no choice but to agree, but not before getting in one more smart mouthed question.

"Why the hell should I care about your faggot ass binging yourself into a coma?"

Neji expected two sharp knuckles to be buried in his eye socket, possibily rupturing some blood vessels for the worst insult he could think of in a time of crisis.

Instead, he got the answer of, "Because you put others before yourself."

That last statement sealed his fate. He would become Akago's appointed 'FWB' solely under the blackmail of alcoholic poisoning. And for what? Because Neji _did_ put others before himself. Even if it was a hollow threat, Neji couldn't let the slightest possibility of it happen to what was supposed to be his best friend. Unfortunately, this was Neji's fatal flaw(3) and Akago had manipulated it for his gain, using Neji's body as a substitute coping mechanism all sophomore and most of junior year.

Thinking about it, Neji could sense the feeling of shame for even letting it occur. His supposed best friend scammed him in being used as a toy, taking away his virginity without a single apology, yet Neji still stood by his side, feelings twisted, but still sincere for the boy. No matter how fucked up he behaved, he couldn't help but to remain loyal to their friendship. It was the only secure relationship he held with anyone. Through the skeezy nights and awkward mornings, the brunet boy still felt the maladjusted kinship between each other. To Neji, he had just become accustomed to the dysfunction coming from trouble himself.

Comparing Akago to Gaara, sure, Gaara was practically an angel, but Neji hoped his attachment to the brat wasn't because Gaara was as problematic as it got in this new town. With thin limbs, dark eyes, grim persona, and a 'ghost-like' aura, he was a sack of dilemmas. Being ordered around like a slave isn't something Neji would usually put up with, yet standing beside the petite redhead, he felt a similar kinship. They were messed up, they were in pain, and no one understood but each other.

All Neji could hope for was that being a martyr wouldn't fuck up this connection like his and Akago's.

xoxo

Gaara was surprised how quiet and... cooperative Neji was being. From their previous adventures, Neji had always thrown in an annoyed statement or asked where they were going or why they were doing so and so. It was almost a bit boring not having a bit of chatter in his ear.

_Not that I'm complaining or anything,_ Gaara reminded himself. _I've just gotten used to the guy's meaningless words._

The redhead looked beside him to see a forlorned look on Neji's face. His chronic frown was deeper, wrinkling the corners of his mouth while his eyebrows sagged lower on his face, casting a darker shadow on his bruised eye. The pale eyes stared to the right, following the edge of the sidewalk they stepped on as if he was counting the weeds.

_What's wrong with him? He can't really be that upset about skipping school. I told him we'd be back by last period._

Gaara shook his head briefly, reminding himself not to be concerned about Neji. All he was is a tool to be used in whatever way Gaara needed him. As much as he would have liked to keep it that way, he had fallen into a sense of sympathy for the guy to the point where he once held hands with him. It was wrong. Everything about the way Gaara was behaving was wrong. He hadn't given a single care about anyone besides himself for the past few years, yet a simple pair of lunar eyes have pulled him into a damn spell that he had a hard time breaking himself from.

It bothered the redhead intensely, but he needed to see a change in that face. The only person who was supposed to be weirdly upset is Gaara.

"We're getting stuff to decorate," he told the brunet.

Neji looked up from the grass, asking, "What?"

_Open your fucking ears._ "We're getting stuff. To decorate," Gaara repeated, taking a glance at Neji to see a shift in his facial expression.

It faded from melancholy to a slight surprise before asking, "What are we decorating?"

"The forest."

Gaara heard the familiar frustrated groan and a muttered, "What else?" that was probably followed by an eye roll. The redhead felt a small smile inside of him. _That's better._

xoxo

Neji and Gaara stepped into the doorway of what Neji thought was the tiniest shop that ever existed. Now, as a city boy, he's come to expect small stores from time to time due to limited space, but there was no excuse for this miniature store to be so small. Especially from what Neji could tell from the back of the building through the alley way, there was plenty room for an expansion.

The small building appeared to be a general store with shelves stacked to the short ceiling, compressed into micro aisles and spinning racks by the check out table. The white, cracked painted walls had a cheesy grape motif going along the top of the walls and the place overall smelt of cheap wood, most likely from the cheaply made bear statues on top of the register desk. _It's every general store I've ran into only in miniature form. This is a bit creepy._

Before Neji had a chance to explore, Gaara took hold of his long sleeve and tugged him past the empty check out table into aisle in front of them. _And the adventure has begun,_ he sarcastically thought, following the boy regardless. The two walked through what appeared to be the tool/gardening aisle. Neji's eyes bounced back and forth between off-brand hammers, plastic hand shovels, and tacky floral gardening gloves while Gaara continued to drag him to wherever their destination was. Neji had a funny feeling they'd end up in the crafts aisle to purchase glitter and markers and crazy glue since they seemed to be in the redhead's arsenal of decorations.

_Perhaps we're upgrading to macaroni art on tree bark,_ he joked to himself. He tried not to snort at his own joke, but Gaara looked back at him with a strange look for a moment. Neji blinked and looked off, biting his bottom lip to keep from smiling. Gaara stared at him for another second or so before paying attention to what was in front of them, a big wooden door.

Neji raised an eyebrow as they stood before it and asked, "So, we're going into the backyard?"

Gaara nodded and reached for the knob. Neji was tempted to ask if they were allowed in the back, but he knew it wouldn't do anything to remedy the situation that he was skipping school for whatever the hell was behind this door. He let out a sigh, waiting for the door to swing open.

Gaara pushed it out and they were greeted by a large, green backyard with zillions of flowers sticking out of brown patches of dirt, seperated by tiny, white fences. Each patch seemed to be organized by flower color with small signs that read the flower names. Floral scents immediately flooded Neji's nose, making him a bit fearful of a sudden allergic sneeze. He didn't do well in pollen.

"I guess this is why the store is the size of a waiting room," he murmured to himself, pulling his sleeve over his hand to cover his nose.

The redhead didn't bother to dignify his comment with a response and walked along the back of the building to a small black case on the ground beside a patch of blue and purple flowers. He crouched and lifted the lid, fingering through small packets of what Neji guessed were seeds. He picked two packs, shut it, and walked to the next patch of flowers that had a case by its sign. He continued the process, going from patch to patch, and picking two seed packs until he went through all eight. Gaara dropped the sixteen packs into Neji's hands and told him, "Hold these."

Neji rolled his eyes, thinking, _Not like I have a choice._

He followed the boy back into the building where they journeyed through the gardening aisle once more, this time with Gaara picking out tools like two pairs of gloves and two mini shovels. He pushed the items into Neji's hands once again and began to walk towards the register with Neji hot on his trail. Upon arriving to the register, no one was there still.

Neji leaned over to Gaara and asked, "How do we pay when no one's there?"

Gaara turned his head to Neji, replying, "What are you talking about?"

"No one's at the counter."

"Yes, there is."

Neji was about to tell Gaara that he had to be seeing things, but when he turned back to the check out table, a blond teenager was behind the counter, staring at the two boys with dull eyes. Or eye since the other was covered by a large fringe of hair while the rest was bundled in a ponytail. He resisted squealing in fear, but, _Holy fuck, where did he come from?_

The teenager had his head resting on his hand, still staring at the guys before taking a breath and relaying the most lifeless welcoming ever.

"Welcome to the Hokage General Store where we supply quality items for a quality price," he droned, pausing to take a breath and simultaneously brush through the bangs covering one of his eyes. "I hope you've found everything satisfactory because we aim to please our customers," he continued, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling.

_I don't think he could put any less effort into this greeting,_ Neji thought, rolling his own eyes. _This attitude is what makes teenages notorious for being apathetic jerks._

Gaara let out a loud groan that made Neji chuckle. The redhead snapped his head to Neji who only laughed more at the pissed off boy.

He growled and ordered Neji, "Shut up and put the stuff on the counter."

Neji smirked and placed the stuff on the counter, highly amused at Gaara's annoyance.

"Today we have a special on confetti and kazoos-" The loud clunk of the items on the desk interrupted the blond's spiel. He cut himself off, looked at the things, back at Neji, mumbling, "Guess you don't confetti and kazoos."

"No thanks," Gaara replied for him, taking out his wallet. "Now shut up. Ring it and bag it, Debbie."

The blond shot a glare that was as evil as Gaara's."What the hell did you just say, Ginger?"

"Shut up. Ring it. Bag it. Debbie," Gaara annunciated for the boy, mockingly brushing through an imaginary set of bangs much like this 'Debbie' boy had did. It looked like the boy was going to jump over the counter and throttle Gaara and the redhead appeared to have no concern with this. Neji looked between the two boys exchanging glares, thinking, _Well this is a new side to Gaara I've haven't seen._

It seemed that the blond let it go (slightly) and started angrily scanning the items while giving Gaara the evil eye. He bagged them and pushed the bag towards Neji, saying, "That'll be $24.79."

Gaara pulled out a twenty and and a ten, handing it to the blond. When he gave Gaara back the change, Gaara told him, "Keep a five, I need to pick up my pictures."

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled, pulling a five dollar bill out and dropping the rest of the change in Gaara's hand. He bent down and disappeared behind the counter, reappearing with a small paper case, handing it to Gaara. "Get back to school, brat."

Gaara threw the case into the bag Neji was holding, replying, "Get back to work, Debbie." He grabbed Neji's arm and started dragging him outside of the shop. The entrance door bell rang upon leaving with the faint sound of 'brat' following them.

Neji adjusted his grip on the plastic handles and asked, "Debbie?"

"Blondie."

"What?"

"Debbie Harry, from the band, Blondie."

"Oh."

"...Walk faster."

xoxo

Gaara couldn't believe his luck when he saw 'Debbie' behind the counter at the store instead of the extremely old manager. The universe pulled a fast one on Gaara, making him believe that he wouldn't have to run into the obnoxious blond jerk. With no one at the counter, anyone could have shown up, but instead, 'Debbie' stands up from behind the counter with a cleaner and a rag, making eye contact with Gaara. For a split second, they exchange mutual detest for one another before Neji interrupts the silence. Aware that Gaara had a companion, 'Debbie' went into his stupid welcoming and yadda, yadda.

_God, just thinking of Deidara makes me lose the eloquence of my own inner thoughts._

The redhead shook his head free of the annoying blond boy and tried to focus on the task at hand: decorating the pathway to the Majestic Forest with flowers. Sure, colorful spoons spun above them from the last time they decorated, but there was nothing wrong with a floral path either. It's supposed to be Majestic, so why not have an elaborate pathway to an amazing place?

He jammed his shovel into dirt in front of him, wiggling it to pop out a bit of the soil. Beside him was a long line of shallow trenches he dug up where the seeds would be distributed through. He placed the dirt to the side and finished the end of his twelfth ditch. He stood up, took off his gloves, and ripped the top of the seed package, walking to the beginning of this trench. He walked along it and scattered the periwinkle flower seeds through to be interrupted by:

"Gaara, how many seeds are suposed to be in each hole?"

The redhead turned around to see Neji crouched next to his trench, bag of seeds in one hand and a dirtied shovel in the other. His purple floral gloves clashed severely with his gray long sleeve shirt, black hoodie, and baggy blue jeans. To add to the strangeness of the situation, he had put his hair into a ponytail using his bandana to keep his hair from his face. This revealed the small scar that ran parallel along his hairline that he told Gaara about before. It was quite a sight.

"Scatter them. Like you're feeding birds," Gaara explained. He tossed a few more into the end of the ditch and knelt down to push some of the dirt over it.

Neji jammed the shovel into the ground, sitting towards Gaara to watch what he was doing. "Birds?"

"Pigeons. Seagulls. Whatever," he told him. He pushed the rest of the dirt over the seeds, gently patting the dirt with the flat side of the mini shovel.

"I never fed the birds back in Konoha City. One french fry led to a pack of twenty pigeons stalking you the rest of your walk," Neji told Gaara. He smiled for a moment, pulled his legs into his chest, and added, "And it's even worse at the beach because the seagulls are freaking crazy. They swoop down and snatch your food. At least pigeons have the courtesy to wait until you put food down." The boy continued to chuckle at his own memories, leaving Gaara to watch the grin slowly disappate as the brunet waited for a response from Gaara.

_I guess I have to answer back._ Gaara rolled his eyes, mumbling, "Never seen a pigeon."

"You've experienced seagulls though?" Neji asked.

"Yeah," Gaara answered. He ran his gloved fingers over the dirt mound. "Went on a boat once. There were a lot of them."

Neji simply nodded (to Gaara's delight) and began to mimic his seed technique, tossing some seeds into the trench.

The redhead looked down the row from Neji to inspect the trenches he dug. Although crooked, they were deep enough for the seeds to be placed it. _Glad he can do _something _right._ He let out a deep breath, standing up to walk along the trenches, tossing the seeds rather carelessly. The trick to convincing people that certain plants or flowers are naturally grown is by not evenly spacing their growth. No flower grows perfectly seperate from another, they're usually in clumps of five flowers and then the next bunch may have two.

He continued down the row, knowing he was losing Neji in the beginning of the path, but he'd catch up. _Unless he's too stupid to just throw seeds into a hole without concern. I'd have to give up on him if such a thing happened._

However, as he thought this, Gaara heard the shuffle of Neji jogging up towards him. He turned his head to see the brown haired boy tossing the seeds into the trenches and slowed down when he got near Gaara. He gave him a quick half smile, continuing the task at hand. The redhead blinked and looked down at the ground, a bit weirded out by the unnecessary smile.

"Oh, I wanted to ask you something, Gaara," Neji said, grabbing his attention. The redhead looked back at Neji who tossed some other seeds near him, waiting for this oh-so important question. "In my chemistry class this morning, I met someone. Uhm, do you know someone called Kankuro?"

xoxo

"Uhm, do you know someone called Kankuro?" Neji asked.

It was a bit out of the blue, but after the strange cat-boy mentioned 'mute brother,' he had a definite feeling that Gaara was the boy he was speaking of. He doubted there were any other 'mute' children in the school. Then again, Kankuro and Gaara seemed to have nothing in common physically. Kankuro's tan skin, large build, and from what he saw under the hood, dark hair didn't match Gaara's ghost complexion, tiny frame, and blazing hair. Sure, there's a possibility of different parents, but he couldn't recognize a single familiar feature in Kankuro that matched Gaara's. They could at least share the same bump in the nose Gaara had.

_Wait, how do I know he has a bump on his nose?_ He thought. He looked over to Gaara who had stopped putting seeds down. The boy's face was just as blank as usual, just staring at the ground. From the profile, Neji recognized the small bump that rounded on the tip of his nose. _Yeesh, I guess I've looked at him a bit too much._

Neji was waiting for an answer for his question, yet something in the ground was _so entertaining_ that Gaara kept looking at it. After a few more seconds, Neji let out a loud enough sigh that grabbed Gaara's attention once more.

"Did you ask something?" was Gaara's empty response.

Neji furrowed his eyebrows and almost growled at the boy. He didn't just seriously ignore Neji did he? His question was loud enough to be heard. Gaara even turned to him when he asked. _This boy is one of the most annoying people ever!_ He took two long and steady breaths to calm himself before asking, "I met someone named Kankuro this morning. Do you know him?"

Gaara tugged his gray sweater sleeves over his hands, answering, "No."

"Just no?"

"Just no."

Neji frowned, not expecting that answer. Kankuro specifically said 'mute.' Perhaps he meant mute as in 'can't talk at all mute.' _Was I wrong? I couldn't have. It seemed to point right to Gaara._ He saw Gaara still tugging at his sleeves as he stared at the holes he hadn't seeded yet. _And when I thought I found out something about him, it ends up at a dead end..._

xoxo

_Is it sad to be excited for the little things, like receiving a letter from a pen pal, looking over old photos and reliving memories, even waiting for flowers to bloom? As you grow, the little things seem to be replaced by the big things: jobs, money, success. The definition of success starts to twist into a new meaning. No longer are you impressed by doing a wheelie on a bicycle, but rather the amount of money one could receive an hour during a job. Or instead of enjoying the time we have now, we live life in a frantic pace, never slowing down to enjoy what we have now. If we lived at a fast pace for the rest of our lives, the term 'success' and 'impressive' would cease to exist. We wouldn't have time to sit and love what we did. We'd push it to the side and move on as if it meant nothing, but it means everything. Waiting for this little periwinkle flower to grow means everything. Where's the excitement if it pops up tomorrow? There is none. I will wait until spring for your growth, don't you worry, Periwinkles. Your life is important to me._

"Gaara."

The redhead looked up from the patch of dirt in front of him to Neji who stood beside him with a half empty water bottle. He fell into a daydream once again, but it was rare for him to have a moralistic one. He supposed flowers made him think of the past and-

"What?" Gaara asked, unintentionally crushing the bottle in his own hand.

Neji peered down at Gaara's right hand that held the plastic container. It began to uncrinkle while he said, "You've been staring at the same trench for about five minutes already." Neji reached for Gaara's bottle and tugged it from his hand.

The redhead let it go, wondering what he was going to do with it. "If we're done, we should collect these bottles. What's the point of planting nature if we're just going to litter?" Neji pulled out the yellow shopping bag from the gas station and placed their two bottles into it, nudging Gaara in the arm to do the same thing.

He reluctantly began the menial task of collecting bottles and tossing them into the yellow bag. Neji did have a point, it was just boring to do. Since there were only a nine bottles, it took a short enough time to do. Neji tied up the bag and opened his mouth to say something, when a sudden downpour of rain began.

_Well, this is grand,_ Gaara thought. He looked up to the sky, curious to know when storm clouds gathered, but it wasn't like he could even see the sky well through the mesh of green leaves. _Didn't even know it was going to rain._ He felt the cold rain land onto his thick sweater, splattering on his skin, and drenching his hair as if it was cooling the fire. He liked rain himself, just not standing in it.

"Gaara, we can't go back into school like this," Neji told him, holding the yellow bag over his head as a makeshift umbrella. "People will know we went outside during school hours."

_You worry too much_, Gaara silently told him. It was strange how this brunet seemed to care more about school than he did his clothes like most people. But between the cheap sneakers and paper thin jacket, maybe it didn't matter as much if his clothes got wet. Hell, Gaara couldn't careless that his thrift store wool sweater might end up a mildewy piece of crap and he paid eight bucks for it.

Neji bent over to pick up to pick up a shovel, but Gaara stopped him. He took his wrist and pulled it away from the tool, earning a strange look from the brunet.

"We shouldn't leave this stuff here," Neji told him.

"We'll get it tomorrow," Gaara replied, letting go of his wrist. He looked up at the sky, wondering if it was going to rain any harder. If it was, it probably wouldn't be safe to stay outside for any longer. His eyes fell down to Neji, telling him, "Your house is closer."

At the mention of his house, Neji's eyes widened. He looked like he froze up as his shoulders rose up higher like he was a turtle trying to hide in his shell. He appeared down right defensive. He shook his head rapidly as he replied, "No, no, no, that is _not_ an option."

"Why not?" Gaara asked.

"It just isn't," he told him. Neji shuffled beside Gaara and asked, "What do we do now?"

What to do was the question. He didn't care if he went into school wet, Neji did. He didn't care if he went to Neji's place, Neji did. Neji would also probably be worried about hiding out in a random public building like the library, a church, or townhall. _Why does he have to be such a freak about things?_

With one option left (besides freezing in the rain), he offered, "My house."

* * *

><p>(1). <strong>Koshiro Matsumoto<strong> is the stage name of various Kabuki theatre actors. It's sort of like this weird lineage of actors and the title gets passed down essentially, dated by to the 1700s. Kooky, right? Still pretty rad though.

(2). **Kerouac**, as in Jack **Kerouac**, as in his famous autobiographical, stream-of-consciousness novel, 'On The Road,' Jack **Kerouac, **the author. Popular writer man. Died of alcoholism though, so that's why he's relevant.

SPOILER: Akago's using Kerouac in both the example of a man who died of alcoholism and to make fun of Neji since he wants to specialize in American literature. A _doubleshot,_ if I may. Just a little spoiler because it'll be mentioned later in le story.

(3). **Fatal flaws **are something that you probably went over in English class, but if you haven't, essentially, it's the key element in the downfall of a person or plan. Example, the story of _King Midas_ is about a man whose greed was so strong, he asked for the power to turn everything he touched into gold. Greed was his fatal flaw because this new power turned his food into gold and eventually starved himself to death because of it.

Oh! Something I forgot to mention in the top author's note, uhm, you know how in various other chapters, I said that the bands **Deftones** and **Beach House** is my inspiration music for this stuffs? Well, guess what? **BEACH HOUSE** HAS A NEW GODDAMN CD! WHEEEEEE! I downloaded that shizz as soon as it was available and now I'm in a dream pop heaven (this chapter is named after one of the new tracks). AND **Deftones** are supposed to have a new album coming out soon too. My original story line is probably going to change because of all this new freaking music, and you know what? I don't mind at all ;D /fangirl

Okay, to be honest, I dislike the way this ends because it's a bit rushed. That's my own fault though. I intend on the next chapter to be better since it's the continuation of this chapter's day. It might be briefer due to the way I planned it, but I won't know until I start to write. Thanks to the people who added this story to their favorites and to their alerts. Y'all are awesome. Maybe I'll rewrite the last portion of this. I don't know.

**Update** shall be arriving sometime in July or August. (Sorry again for lateness) Happy reading! Reviews are nice.


	8. House on the Hill

A/N: I'm glad I got this finished on time. I actually like this chapter. Of course, I would have preferred it that I didn't split this day into two parts, but too much stuff to cram into one chapter.

**Note**: There's an alternative title because my alternating band thang got messed up. The main title for this chapter 'House on the Hill' is Beach House, last chapter was Beach House too. Clearly, not alternating. So, I plugged in my alt. title for I don't feel like I massively messed up my groove. However, the alt. title goes with the ending of this chapter which gets a bit intense :3 uh ohs, trouble ahead.

To my anonymous reviewers:

**lolscat**: Thanks for reviewing :) Yeah, I don't like Akago and Neji either, but it's a part of his past, so I kind of wanted to put it in there, especially since *LITTLE SPOILER* Akago is going to pop up a bit later *END SPOILER* And yeah, there will be a few answers about Sasuke sooner or later. He can't be a dick and get away with it haha.

**anon**: Aww, shucks, thanks XD I understand the busy college thang, but taking a bit of time out of your schedule is rad :) And I'm glad you like the bonding thing. Yeah, sometimes I find stories a bit rushed with it and I don't want it to go that way with this story. There's a lot of other things going on in this story besides romance. In reality, you have to push through those issues before anything clicks for sure. Anywhoodles, thanks for reading :)

And my not-so anonymous reviewer, **KrazynKuki** (your messaging thing is/was down, so I couldn't message you back for reviewing):

Thank you for reading this :) And I signed the petition, don't worry ;D

* * *

><p><span>House On The Hill<span>  
>(Alternative Title: 'Prince')<p>

Had you told Neji a month and a half ago that he'd be running through an open field in the pouring rain, avoiding certain death from lightning, he would have laughed in your face. If you told him that in partnership of this dangerous activity, he was with a turmoiled redhead who had the verbal expression of a pissed off four year old, he would have not only laughed, but probably assumed you were a little crazy in the head. In each of those details, he would have denounced the logic in them. Neji was known for being a cautious teenager, so his friends would have laughed at you too. He wouldn't be outside in the rain, let alone a storm. He also wouldn't be running across a field during lightning and thunder, it was too risky. Furthermore, the idea of enjoying his time with a 'four year old' didn't seem appealing whatsoever.

City Neji would have fallen to the ground in giggles and wrote you off as a kook. Town Neji was in this predicament and feared for his life.

After the surprise from Gaara offering his house as their escape route, the redhead took the bag from Neji's hand, tied it tight, and told him, "Follow me." Gaara began down the pathway toward the Majestic Forest with Neji on his heels.

The rain continued to pour down, leaving both boys drenched. Neji's jacket clung to his thin body while Gaara's wool sweater settled like a sack on Gaara's tiny body. It must have felt like he had twenty pounds on his back from the absorption alone. A dull boom from the distance scared the two, but not as much as the crack of lightning afterward. Gaara squealed in a way the brunet would never imagine as the redhead grabbed hold of his hand, tugging him faster down the pathway. Neji used his free hand as a faulty umbrella and tightened his hold around Gaara's palm. He _really_ didn't want to be left behind.

They came upon the vine curtain that led straight to the Majestic Forest. Thanks to the thick foliage above that gathered water, it dropped a heavy load of rainwater onto the space, turning the curtain into a makeshift waterfall. Gaara didn't slow down though. He blindly ran through the vine curtain, tugging Neji along for the ride. Soaked even further from the psuedo-waterfall, he discovered that not pushing the greens out of the way caused three vines to entwine with his hair. It was useless to try to remove them since Gaara kept up their running pace. The brunet sighed and continued with the green ends slapping his shoulders.

The Majestic Forest came up real fast, but that wasn't the destination. Gaara turned from the metal gate and ran along the pine trees circling the play place. It was a thin pathway that led to a fork rather fast. Neji assumed the left went towards Asuma's farm seeing as Gaara took the right path. The two boys continued to run through the pathway with ragged breaths and stumbling feet. Neither boy was suited for that kind of exercise, but it looked like Gaara was going to pass out. His already ivory skin looked ghostly. His fingers loosened their grip slightly, breaths coming out hoarse and struggled compared to Neji's constant nasal intakes. Neji gripped the small hand, not willingly to let him pass out on him, and began to run beside him, rather than dragged behind. Gaara looked beside him, a little surprised, but continued on the move.

As they neared the outskirts of the forest, there was a break in the foliage above them, letting both the boys see the dark, looming clouds encasing the town of Suna. The sun was nowhere to be found in the puffs of gray billows. They stumbled upon the exit to the forest, a six foot tall wired fence. On the other side was a wide open field with small structures in the distance and the farm to the left side of Neji's view.

Gaara dropped Neji's hand and leaned forward, gripping his fingers between a space in the fence. "It's a straight shot from here to my house," he started. He reached up higher in the fence and tucked his left foot into a space. "Just keep running."

Neji stared with wide eyes, not sure if he wanted to trust Gaara. He _wanted_ to run through an open field. His house or not, there was nothing safe in this escape route from the rain. Neji was half tempted to turn back and follow the spoons back to civilization where he'd get yelled at by the administration, but at least he was dry and safe. The consequences of the adults at school though were nothing compared to what happens after the phone call home. He anticipated yelling, a couple smacks across the face, maybe two days without food (like it made any difference from a normal day). The brunet watched the redhead continue to scale the fence before he dropped onto the other side with a wet 'squish' of the grass.

The redhead's eyeliner had ebbed its way down his cheeks and formed a gray smear along his jaw as he wiped with his sweater sleeve. He tucked the yellow bag under his sweater and looked at Neji through the other side of the fence. "Move it, princess."

"Excuse me?" Neji snarled, glaring at the boy across the fence.

"You heard me." Gaara tugged his sleeves over his hands and rattled the fence, shaking excess water off. "So, climb."

Those short commanding words were enough to piss Neji off to climb over the metal fence. There were a few mishaps like his feet slipping off the fence and getting his jeans caught when he tried to swing his leg over top, but he made it over. He landed on the ground, almost slipping, and reached for Gaara's neck to choke essentially, but the boy was already on the move through the field. A boom of thunder scared Neji and started to follow Gaara again.

Through the field, he could tell that he was bypassing the houses Gaara and him walked past when they 'visited' Asume's farm, but it was hard to focus on any real details when Neji was sure he was going to slip every step he made. The ground was absolutely saturated and it wasn't letting up whatsoever. The clouds continued to pile up above them, illuminating whenever lightning in the distance struck. Neji's heart was racing at a speed he didn't know it could go. It felt like it was going to explode out of his chest.

All of a sudden, there was a boom of thunder that Neji could swear he felt under his feet. He had almost stopped running until lightning struck two seconds later in full view of both boys. Gaara made a noise between a scream and a shout, stumbling back as if the lightning was going to crawl over to them. Neji didn't know where Gaara's house was, so he needed the boy to stop paying attention to the storm. He stepped in front of the scared redhead. _Wait, why is he smiling?_ Gaara was looking in the distance where the lightning had struck with a slight smile and curious eyes tracing over the light path. _He isn't scared? It's freaking lightning! For Christ's sake..._

He sighed and nudged the redhead in the shoulder, suggesting, "Why don't we get to your house first and _then_ watch the storm, hm?"

Neji meant it to be more of a sarcastic inquiry to get the boy from his trance, but instead, the redhead dropped the look and said, "Good idea. Come on," and took Neji's hand once more. He tried to ignore the weird spark that went through his spine upon contact and let him take the lead towards their destination.

After passing several more homes, the rain started to slow down, but continued to thunder and lightning all the same. Soon enough, they came upon a large greenhouse to the right that appeared to be foggy from the inside. Gaara slowed down and held Neji's hand tighter, turning for the glass house.

"Wait," Neji started. "Isn't that someone else's green house? We can't go in other people's property."

Gaara shook his head. "It's my greenhouse," he answered.

Neji tried to look around for a house before they arrived at the greenery, but only found a small looking white cottage nearby. Although it was a house, there wasn't even a driveway, garage, or walkway. It was just a house in the middle of the field. When they stopped in front of the greenhouse, Neji had to ask, "Is that your house?"

Gaara followed Neji's finger in the direction it pointed. He snorted as he opened the door to the greenhouse. A wave of heat hit Neji's body, making him want to run in already.

"That isn't my house. Wish it was though," Gaara answered, stepping into the greenhouse.

Neji followed him in. "How come?"

"Reasons."

xoxo

Gaara liked the thunder. He liked the lightning, the dark clouds, the overall excitement of a storm. He loved the adrenaline and fear of watching electricity surge through the Earth. It was one of the few times he tolerated life outside his imagination. The storms he created in his heads were predictable and over the top, sending lightning in every direction, blowing up everything in sight. Real storms are unpredictable and can set flames to anything or nothing. It wasn't disappointing if nothing caught on fire, it was just the anticipation of watching something potentially flicker. Even if the rain could bury it back to ash, sparks were thrilling.

Watching the lightning that struck nearby made his stomach flip although his view was ruined by Neji's suggestion. It was a good idea though. Watching the storm up close wasn't worth the amount of rain that had drenched him and possibly the photos under his sweater. Gaara was going to be so mad if they were ruined and quietly hoped that they were only damp. He had put the bag upside down under his sweater so water couldn't leak in from the top, but cheap plastic bags were as unpredictable as the storms. Sometimes they were strong while others were weak like a minute long sunshower. He wouldn't know until he got to dry land.

The redhead continued to drag Neji across the field, coming up fast to Gaara's family greenhouse. That was the perfect place to warm up first before they ran for the house. He turned towards it and was asked about the cottage nearby, if that was Gaara's home.

He wished it was. He really did. He hated his house. It was too big for his family and aesthetically hollow, designed simply for looks rather than acquiring a certain atmosphere like most people did. The kitchen was designed with a large square table/island made up of blue marble and oak with a wraparound counter and flat top stove. The refrigerator was sleek, black and quite big, ready to entertain any guests. The floor was wood paneling and always buffed to the shiniest it could be. The overall design was modern and simple. It was the reasoning by the designer that pissed Gaara off. It wasn't because the interior designer wanted a calming effect for the kitchen, it was just because navy blue was the latest color trend at the time, so _everyone_ had blue countertops.

He also didn't like the company of his family, nagging him in the morning, afternoon, and night. 'Did you eat, Gaara? Why don't you talk, Gaara? We're worried, Gaara.' It was the same every single day. If he lived in the cottage, he could have his long desired peace. There'd be no one telling him he couldn't have chocolate syrup for dinner and he could drink all the coffee creamer he pleased. He could decorate it in any way he wanted, making it a real and thorough interpretation of his fantasy world. Shame that it wasn't his cottage though, it was the gardener's.

"Gaara," Neji called. He blinked and turn towards the brunet boy, perched near the a patch of flowers. Gaara pressed the door shut, locking in the warmth, stepping beside the boy. "Why is it so warm in here?" He asked. He leaned over the flowers and took a sniff before covering his nose with his sleeve.

The redhead ignored his weird action, answering, "There's a heater. Keeps the flowers warm to grow."

He looked from the boy up into the greenhouse, inspecting the wide range of greenery spread throughout the glass house. There were patches of flowers that grew from the ground beside floral shubbery. The garden wasn't vastly spacious, but it was large enough to have a party of thirty people or so visiting. A stone pathway led a tight rectangle through and around the plants with one or two small Japanese Maple trees lurching over. Beside the pathway were little blue and red pottery vases holding orchids and passiflora, adding some extra color to the environment.

"It feels like a rain forest in here," Neji commented. His eyes followed the greenery lined against the pathway from a moment, adding, "Looks like one too." Gaara decided not to elaborate on the humidifying machine keeping the air wet for the plants and crossed his arms. With no comment from Gaara, the brunet pulled off his jacket and started to twist it, letting the water fall onto the flowers.

_Good idea_. Gaara took the bag from under his sweater and put it down on the floor. He pulled off his now five pound sweater, letting the sopping mess sag in his hands. He started to twist water out of the left sleeve over some azaleas when he felt a strange shiver up his body. _Don't stare,_ he mentally ordered Neji, but he continued to. His gaze glazed over the withering body that Gaara claimed as his own. It followed from the immersed Converse up to the literal 'flooded' jeans that stuck to his match stick legs, settling on his torso.

Being drenched meant that even the t-shirt beneath the sweater clung to him, curving around every arch of his ribs, rippling along his spine, and falling over his jutting collarbone. His shoulder blades probably would have emulated a pair of wings if he stood up properly. Instead, he continued to slouch to hide the bones, quickly twisting water out of the sweater, trying to finish before Neji questioned him.

"Uhm, Gaara?" Neji began, sounding unsure about what he was asking.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck! _Gaara practically seethed "What?" through his teeth, earning a surprised look from the brunet boy.

The facial expression died off soon though, mouth descending into an displeased pout, creasing his eyebrows. He wrapped his arms around his knees and switched his attention to the carnations, muttering lowly, "I just wanted to know what you photographed..."

_Wait, what?_ The redhead's anger fizzed out, unclenching the fists at his sides. He stopped his scowl and stared down at the brunet boy. Neji stayed quiet and placed his sleeve back on his nose, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain bouncing off the glass walls. While the storm continued outside the greenhouse, one had almost started inside.

_He didn't say anything about my body. It's not like he hasn't said anything before. There's full proof right now about my unhealthy stature, why didn't he say anything?_ Gaara kept staring down at the brunet, confused and frustrated that he didn't utter a single word about his body. He'd grown accustomed to covering his body. He started drowning his body in heavy, thick sweaters and jackets, switching to ill-fitting, boxy, thin sweaters during the summer. Dodging questions and snapping at physical comments had become an instinct, however, intensive staring followed by silence was unpredicted by the redhead. Yet Neji had seemed to throw him off balance in a couple of words.

As Gaara tried to figure out what just happened, Neji picked his jacket off the ground and started putting it on. He still looked annoyed, lips settled into an uncomfortable frown. "Whatever. You don't have to tell me about your photos," he sighed with an air of hopelessness. The boy started to stand. "Just get me to your place and I'll be out of your hair as soon as it stops raining."

The redhead frowned. He was a little put off by Neji's words. He was obviously 'welcomed' to come to Gaara's house to dry off. When did he say anything about not wanting the boy over (besides the fact that he didn't want _anyone_ over)? Neji's face looked similar to earlier, wearing a forlorn look. Even his body language spoke for him, turning his left shoulder the slightest from Gaara, slouched over in a vague sense of disappointment? That's what it appeared like to Gaara anyway.

He found himself wanting to change this expression once more despite the nagging in his brain telling him to pull away and leave him alone. He wanted to make him look different. Gaara wanted to see his neutral face of careful eyes and bored lips instead of this pitiful mask.

Soon enough, Gaara's body moved on its own. He dropped his sweater and stepped up to boy, slinking his small hand over his bony shoulder. Neji turned quite fast towards the redhead. He didn't expect it. He also couldn't expect what happened next.

A pale hand wound itself into Neji's long hair, gently brushing through the brittle ends and worming itself up into its follicle mass. He slipped his fingers through the wet, tangled mess, pulling apart several knots before sliding through again. Although Neji was staring down at Gaara with wide eyes, the shorter boy wasn't at all focused on that. He was more concerned about the small vines wrapped around the locks. He half-heartedly brushed through the ends and started to unwind the first vine from there. His fingers danced along the green spirals on both sides of Neji's head and worked them out rather fast. He tossed them down onto the floor and finally gave notice of Neji's strange gaze.

Those lunar eyes, they lasso'ed Gaara's attention and drew him in, losing himself in their endless pool. His eyes weren't just white, it wasn't plain as milk, there was depth to them. Melancholy dressed in silver and lavender around the outer edges from Gaara's view. He wanted detail though. He wanted to see the way they swirled around towards the center. He wanted to memorize the pattern. For what reason? Gaara didn't even know. His felt his hands gently tugging Neji's head down to get a better view when he heard a quiet hum.

Gaara blinked and realized what he was doing. Neji's face had mellowed out, mouth soft and eyes normal, looking down at the redhead. He was six inches from Gaara's face, slightly slouched over due to height difference. His fingers still rolled around in Neji's hair, however, Gaara couldn't help but wonder who was the person who made that hum.

After a few more unsettling seconds of staring at one another, Neji tried to stand properly, saying, "Uh, thanks. For getting the stuff out."

Gaara let go of his hair and stepped back, a bit ashamed of losing control like that. What the hell was he even doing?

_Once I get those pictures, I don't ever have to do this again._ He picked up his half-wet sweater and pulled it back over. As the heaviness settled on his body, he couldn't help but feel better almost instantaneously. He picked up his bag and shoved it under his sweater.

As he turned towards Neji again, his eyes caught his for a moment. Gaara looked down at the pathway and mumbled, "We should go now," already stepping towards the door without a single glance back at the brunet.

xoxo

The wait in the greenhouse helped the run towards Gaara's house. The time spent drying off there, the rain had settled and reduced to a drizzle. While it was a drizzle, there weren't any trees surrounding them to catch the rain, so the water they had gotten off of them made a cozy home in their clothing once more. Gaara admitted it was his greenhouse, but Neji had yet to see a regular home along their run other than ones in the distance to the right. He did see a very large structure in front of them though with tall windows, balconies, and a large pool with a tarp over it several feet from the back door.

"How big is your backyard?" Neji felt inclined to ask. He looked back behind him and tried to relocate the route they took through the fields. All he could see were the tree tops waving back at him in the distance with a long expansion of grass separating them and the forest.

Gaara shrugged. "Big. Coming up right now though."

"Where?"

"Right there," he answered, pointing in front of them.

_Wait, those he mean that freaking monstrosity home?_

He did. They didn't make a break to the left or right. Gaara continued to run forward with the house rapidly growing as they neared the rear of it. As soon as they got to the pool area, Gaara began start to walk along the concrete siding. Neji slowed down beside him and asked, "What's with the speed?"

"If you want to slip into the pool, feel free to run," Gaara answered, face growing rather grim as they started to arrive to their destination.

Neji gritted his teeth and started to walk. He was tempted to shove the redhead in the pool. Then again, he could have called the cops on his for 'trespassing on private property.' The benefits of a rich kid... or at least it appeared Gaara had to be rich. Neji could never afford a large home like this. Or a in-ground pool. Fuck, he was lucky if he could get a Slip N' Slide.

He glanced up at the balconies above them. They had white stone railings and open windows covered from the inside with dark curtains, not allowing Neji a single peak into the rooms' secrets. The windows without a walk-out were massive and were too covered. Neji was rather astonished if this was truly Gaara's _humble_ abode. It made Neji's home look like a peasant's shack made of leaves and twigs. Gaara's home appeared at least three stories tall, not to mention the width of it, made of gray wood paneling. If the back yard appeared as amazing as it was, Neji would probably die of pure shame by seeing the front of it.

_I'm already ashamed. This place is disgustingly luxurious. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be here at all. _

Neji never had the chance to wallow in his embarrassment because they had already made it to the back door of the home. Gaara grabbed the black handle and pulled it back, sliding the door to the left. He stepped inside and grabbed Neji's wrist, tugging him into a kitchen.

The brunet briefly scanned the blue minimalist kitchen, then realized something. His eyes shot down to his wet feet, pooling water around his sneakers, probably dripping into the wood paneling. He practically jumped onto the rug by the back door and yelped, "Shit! I'm so sorry!"

Gaara exhaled deeply and bent over to untie his sneakers, not reprimanding Neji for floor damage. He dropped his wet sneakers on the rug and unpeeled his socks, tossing them into the sneakers. He waited a few seconds before he kicked the sneakers off the rug. They tumbled and fell a few inches from the mat, allowing water to skim across the wood. Neji was shocked. Was this really the way affluent children behaved? So ensured of their wealth that menial things like swollen floorboards meant nothing?

He wanted to ask why he did such a childish act, but Gaara's exterior looked colder than anything he'd seen before. His body looked rigid, even in the thick sweater. His fists were curled into fists by his thighs, eyes glaring at the sneakers, iced over. Neji couldn't read anything in the boy's look. He did understand one thing: Gaara wasn't happy. Not at all.

This made him question Gaara even more. He spent almost two weeks with this kid and has learned nothing but his seemingly bipolar, eccentric personality. Distant, yet dreamy. Reckless, yet caring. There was no way the redhead could be so churlish yet unorthodox in demeanor. He was capricious. A hypocritical being that had been messing with Neji's logical understanding of character. Just who was Gaara?

"What the-?" Neji looked up and saw a blond young woman standing in the entrance of the kitchen, broom in one hand, dust pan in the other. She had a very light tan and dirty blonde hair tied up in several ponytails around her head. Her green eyes shifted suspiciously between Gaara and Neji, probably unsure why two soaked teenagers were standing in the kitchen, returning the confused stare. Or at least Neji was. The redhead boy looked down at the frilly, pink apron wrapped around the woman's waist and raised an eyebrow at her.

A smirk broke on her face and waved her hand. "Oh, shut up, Gaara! I'm cleaning, alright? Now, care to explain why you're not in school and here... with a friend?" She started out with a steady voice, but upon recognizing a new face, her voice picked up pitch, ending in a high tone at the word 'friend.'

Gaara's cold look stayed put and he shrugged in response of her question. "Towels."

"What'd you say?" The woman asked, placing the broom and dust pan down.

"Towels," he repeated himself.

The woman's smirk turned to a devillish grin as she asked, "What was that again?"

"Tow-els," Gaara annunciated. He was clearly unamused by the woman's actions because as she opened her mouth to probably repeat the question, he cut her off, and said, "Get towels!" He emphasized his order by twisting the arm of his sweater and letting water drop on the kitchen floor.

The vicious look on the blond's face was enough to make Neji back into the glass door behind them. Neji could never order someone around like that. It was an uncomfortable feeling witnessing the redhead's stern face versus the fast approaching maid, lurching towards Gaara like a lion preparing taking down its prey.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, brat? I just cleaned this floor! Now I have to dry it because you're a little, rude-UGH!" The woman scolded him. She wagged her finger in his face during, pointing at the floor, and grabbed him by the sweater. She tugged him off the mat by the collar and started to drag him towards the entrance of the kitchen, saying, "Listen to me. I'm not your servant, so you want towels, get them your damn self, got it?" Neji couldn't hear Gaara's response (if he had one) because she shoved him out.

_Note to self: The help is a bit frightening. Don't make contact unless approached first._

Neji found himself awkwardly standing by the door on the mat, waiting for Gaara to return or at least for the girl to acknowledge his existence once more and tell him what to do. Instead, the blond woman picked up her broom and dust pan and began sweeping in the kitchen with her back to the brunet boy. This left him in a very weird predicament.

He could: a.) Stand by the door like a doofus until Gaara returns with towels or the girl tells him what to do, b.) Attempt to ask the woman and risk getting his face bitten off, or c.) Forget all of this happened and walk out the door, back into the storm, across the field, through the forest, and hide out in the boys' bathroom until the end of the 'school day.'

The third choice was an appealing answer to the situation, but it was taken from him when the girl offered, "Hey, don't stand there. Sit or something."

Neji looked over to her to see she was still half-heartedly sweeping without a single eye on him. He pressed his feet together on the now damp rug and replied, "But I'm dripping water. I don't want to make a mess."

"It's nothing a towel can't dry," The girl insisted. She even started to wave him over and told him, "Just take your shoes off. Take a seat."

With a sigh, he resigned to listening to her order and took off his soaked sneakers and socks. He set them up at neatly as he could and took a place on the stool closest to him, placing his hands on his lap in fear of the girl smacking him with a rag for putting his elbows on the table. It was a bit paranoid, but how was Neji supposed to know how to behave? He'd never been in a rich person's house before.

_I've never been 'friends' with a rich person in general. This whole scenario feels like it was ripped out of 'The Prince and the Pauper,' minus the looking alike part. Gaara really should hurry up though. This is incredibly weird... much like him. For a rich kid, he definitely doesn't appear cultured, well-mannered, or intelligent. I've heard of wealthy people being 'eccentric' at times, but, geez, he's a step above. Mr. Gatsby(1) would have a fit if he saw the way that boy acted._

Amidst his mental rambling, the blond woman took a seat across from him and suddenly asked, "So, are you supposed to be Gaara's friend?"

Neji was broken from his internal discussion and found himself trying to piece together some form of explanation of what Gaara and he was. It wasn't anything really, but it was something. They (sometimes) spoke, they (sometimes) hung out and did (illegal) things together. That could count as friendship, but it was backed up by insults and commentary that irked Neji and being ignored half the time and being bossed around like little kid BY a little kid.

Not sure what to specifically say, he mumbled, "Uhm, I'm not sure myself really. We kind of randomly hang out."

"Hanging out or not, it's a miracle you've gotten to this close to him that he invited you to our house," the girl told him, smile spreading across her face.

Neji didn't want to burst this bubble the woman apparently had for Gaara and 'friendship,' but he scratched his head and admitted, "Actually, it was only because I said we couldn't go to my place."

The smile dropped a bit as she asked, "Why didn't you guys go back to school?"

"We got caught in the rain."

"Yeah, _why_ didn't you guys go back to school?"

"Because we were... skipping." Just the mention of the word 'skipping' left a bad taste in Neji's mouth. He hated sometimes being such a goody-goody, but there are reasons for rules and reasons school is meant to be attended consistently. He felt like a misfit by using the word 'skipping' and while the opinion of this girl didn't matter much, it wasn't an impression he wanted to leave on her. He quickly added, "But, it was Gaara's idea. He promised we'd be back by last period."

The blond woman eyed him for a moment and sighed, slouching over the table. "He's still skipping, eh? Let me guess: littering the tree tops and calling it 'decorations?'"

Neji was surprised she knew about his odd behavior and nodded. _So, this is a well known fact to the help..._

She sighed once more and propped her head up on her hand. "He's been missing more and more school every year. I thought this year would be a bit different, but I guess he's still not interested in school."

"What teenager is?" The brunet inputted, but clasped his hand over his mouth afterward. He hadn't meant for that snippy comment to come out.

The woman chuckled though, asking, "Aren't you? You practically threw Gaara under the bus to me."

"I'm not interested in school." _It's the safety of it I love._ "Besides, why does it matter if I throw him under the bus to you?"

Her smile picked up again, giving a dark grin similar to the smile Gaara had when he tied him up to a tree. It was a bit unsettling how she pulled off the same sadistic smile Gaara had. She leaned over the table a little and replied, "Doubt he'll be happy you're telling his sister about his bad habits."

Neji took a hard swallow that it felt like he ate a rock. The rock also happened to fall down the wrong tube, making him fall into a coughing fit. _Sister? This girl was his sister? _He hit his chest softly with his hand, trying to clear the passageway. _They look absolutely nothing alike!_ Another thought crossed his mind though. _Gaara is going to fucking kill me! I ratted him out. Fuuuu-_

"Geez. Let me get you a drink," the girl said. She got off the seat while Neji continued to have his shocked coughing fit and filled a cup with water from the sink. She walked over and gave it to him. He snatched it from her hand, gulping down the cold water. A few sips settled his cough, but it didn't settle his surprise. This woman? Gaara's sister?

_I've learned two things about Gaara so far. He has a sister and he's rich. I'm _really _breaking his shell now._ Neji groaned at his sarcastic thought. Really, who is Gaara?

The woman took her seat across Neji again and asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah," he mumbled. That was entirely too embarrassing. He was sure he made a lame impression with the sister from that act. Choking on your own saliva? Who the hell does that?

"So, what's your name?" She asked perhaps a little too soon for Neji's cough recovery.

He cleared his throat a bit and answered, "Oh. Uhm, I'm Neji. Neji Hyuga."

"Oh! You're the new kid, right?"

_I'm back to that again, huh? Wait. How does she know I'm new?_

The woman nodded, carefully studying Neji's face. "Yeah," she started. "You're new here. I've never seen your face or heard your name before. " She put her arms on the table again and mumbled to herself, "No wonder Gaara picked you."

Neji raised an eyebrow. Thinking he'd get an answer out of questioning her statement, he asked, "Pardon me?"

Instead, the woman dismissed it. She waved her hand at him, telling him, "Forget about it. All you need to know is that you're the first person to make contact with the brat in a long time. Don't fuck it up." She jumped off the stool and picked up her broom, smirking in the slightest. "I figure Gaara isn't coming down here anytime soon. You should head up to the laundry room then."

He grimaced at his wet clothing, about to protest when she cut him off. "I told you, that's nothing a towel can't fix. You can go upstairs. It's the last door to the right on the third floor."

With nothing to say against her word, Neji carefully took himself off the stool and walked towards the doorway the woman came from. As he stepped through, he heard behind him, "By the way, I'm Temari!"

He nodded in confirmation and continued on the quest to the laundry room where apparently Gaara was hiding out at. He should have figured Gaara wouldn't come back for him. The point was 'dry land,' not entertaining house guests. He sighed to himself and spotted the staircase a few feet away from the kitchen. The first floor set was as fancy as Neji could have expected from a wealthy home. It was skinny at the top and flared out by the bottom, surrounded by dark brown wooden handrails with ornate banisters. The carpeting was a simply royal blue, but it was enough to make Neji worried about stepping on it.

_Gaara did it with no problem._

_Gaara doesn't give a crap. He lives here!_

He took a deep breath and took the first step. He felt his foot sinking into the first plush step, but continued up to the top and swung around the banister to the next set of the folded stair case. He stepped onto the second floor and looked beside him. The hallways were surprisingly minimalist. There were many wooden doors were intricate designs, but only one or two decorations in the white, long hallways themselves. A small table with a vase of flowers, two paintings on the walls. While beautiful paintings, it hardly made an impact to the space.

He stepped aside to the next flight of stairs and took both flights, arriving to the third floor. The third floor in comparison to the second floor looked a bit manic. The doorways were actually rather simple like a normal room door, but it was the door frames that were over the top. It looked like leaves, flowers, and spirals were carved into them and was gilded over for a bright shine. The walls were a dark red which made the hallway feel a bit homier than the white, visually closing the space tighter than the other one. There were more framed pieces of art going across the walls, typically sharing the same red and gold color scheme the hallway had. Neji looked down to the left and saw a black painted door at the end.

Although the hallway seemed a bit random, the thing that drew his attention in the most was the white double doors in front of him. They looked more like wooden gate doors, smeared in colorful paint. Words were painted on it, but then crossed out by small blotches of black paint. Neji couldn't help his curiosity of this room. It was made different from all of the other rooms, so it had to be something special behind the doors.

He stepped up to doors and put his hand on the square glass handle. He was about to turn it when someone shouted, "Hey! What are you doing?"

Neji ripped his hand off the knob and stuck his hands in his pockets. He couldn't believe he had lost a bit of self control and given in to the urges to check out the room. He should have just turned right and found the laundry room, not poke his head around someone else's place without permission. Who did he think he was? Gaara?

The brunet shifted his eyes cautiously to the left, wanting to make out the figure of the person bound to yell at him. He scanned over the all-black ensemble and vaguely remembered the outfit from somewhere. He tried to focus in on the person and realized it looked much like, "Kankuro?"

The guy continued to jog towards Neji's frozen state. As he approached, he saw why he didn't recognize him at first. He wasn't wearing the cat hood from earlier today, exposing his actual hair color, a soft tangerine orange, chopped and spiky much like Gaara's hair. The purple marks remained on his face though with a smear around his eye. Kankuro smiled for a moment like he was happy to see Neji, but then frowned suddenly as he stopped in front of him.

"Don't get the wrong idea, but what the hell are you doing in my house?" He looked at the door beside Neji, who awkwardly shifted away from it, and added, "And trying to sneak into the studio for?"

Neji nudged his foot into the black carpet nervously, answering, "Gaara brought me. And I was-"

Kankuro cut him off though. He raised his hand to halt Neji's speech and asked, "Wait, Gaara? You mean, Gaara, Gaara?"

Neji nodded.

"Gaara, like redhead midget brat-face, Gaara?"

Neji nodded again.

Kankuro let out a deep breath and leant against the wall beside the doors. He ran his meaty hand through his hair, saying, "Woooow. That's nuts."

"Is it?" Neji asked, not sure what was surprising about it. Sure, Gaara didn't look social whatsoever, but that couldn't mean that he didn't have any other friends who came over from time to time.

"Yeah," the carrot top answered. He put his hands into his sweatpants pocket. "You're a lucky, lucky boy," he jested, grinning largely for the brunet boy.

The boy half-heartedly returned the smile, admitting, "I'm not sure why I'm lucky but, okay." He then remembered something from earlier and asked, "Hey, if you're here, that means you gotta know Gaara, right?"

Kankuro raised an eyebrow and nodded. "It'd be a little strange if I didn't know my own lil' bro."

_Another family member has been added to the family tree,_ Neji thought. He shook his head and elaborated, "Sorry. It's just that I asked Gaara before if he knew you, since you mentioned the mute brother thing in chemistry. And he told me he didn't know you."

The carrot top snorted and pushed off the wall, standing normally. "Figures. Probably embarrassed of his dumbass brother who got left back."

"Left back?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I didn't take summer school after failing a class and now I have to redo my senior year." He sighed and glanced up at the ceiling. "Nothing like graduating at nineteen, hm?" Neji felt inclined to tell him 'sorry,' but was cutoff by a waving hand. _I guess interrupting is a 'Sabaku' family trait._ "Don't you pity me with a 'sorry.' I saw that look," Kankuro told him. _So does mind reading._

The older boy nodded his head towards the other side of the hall. "Gaara's in the laundry room. Get going and don't snoop anywhere else, man. Gaara would have had your head if you got into the studio."

"How come?" Neji asked, referring to the studio.

Kankuro shrugged, stating, "Reasons."

"Pfft, sure are a lot of reasons when it comes to Gaara," Neji grumbled towards the lack of answers he was getting. Temari didn't elaborate on Gaara's absence from school, the lack of visitors, and why Gaara 'picked him' and now he couldn't know why the studio was off limits? Neji didn't like secrets being held from him. It was as annoying as Gaara ignoring him.

Neji groaned and rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands into his damp pockets. "Whatever. I'll go to Gaara." As he turned on his heel to walk down the hall, Kankuro took him by the shoulder and spun him back around.

"Oi, don't be a prick," Kankuro told him, scowling at Neji's confused face. "The brat might be a brat, but he'll tell you shit when he wants to."

_Whoa, big brother defensive mode _ Neji thought with wide eyes. He took a step back from the intimidating look. _Am I that scary when people mess with Hinata?_

He gulped and nodded in agreement with the carrot top, slowly backing away from the boy. Kankuro kept the look for a few more seconds and started to smile, waving to Neji as if he hadn't (somewhat) threatened him. He turned and headed towards the staircase, practically skipping down the stairs.

Neji stared at the staircase as Kankuro disappeared._ That was weird._

Dismissing the strange moment, he turned down the hall, pushing the urge to open the studio doors out of his head. He had to find Gaara. That was the whole point of coming upstairs. He sighed and stepped forward through the hallway, counting the doorways on his right.

He came upon the third door and turned, calling out, "Gaara, you here?"

He looked forward and realized he had just walked in on the boy changing. In just a pair of black boxers, he was bent over, stuffing clothes into a bottom door dryer. Neji could see the light from the window hazing over the scars on Gaara's back, lighting up the redhead's pale flesh. He could have stared longer, he could have, but his human instincts kicked in and he turned his back to the boy.

Neji's face felt hot. And his chest was thumping weirdly. _It was an accident. How the hell was I supposed to know he'd be half naked?_ He opened his mouth to try to apologize, saying, "I'm sorry, Ga-"

The redhead's raspy voice cut in, croaking, "What? Haven't you seen a boy's body before?"

His lips curled into the tiniest smirk. _Believe me, I have,_ he silently answered. He dropped the smirk and gradually turned his head around to make sure Gaara had clothes on.

Gaara had jeans on, but Neji caught him halfway through putting on a t-shirt. His arms were above his head, pulling his skin taunt against the bones in his torso. The ribs looked just as bad as his spinal cord. They protruded like waves on his body, curling out from his sides and descending into his sternum. His skin coiled back and forth from the wiggling Gaara did to pull the shirt down. It felt like ages Neji was staring at his figure, but it was really a few seconds. Soon enough, the concerning body was hidden under a veil of dry cotton, probably not to be seen again for a long time.

Neji turned all around and saw Gaara walk over to the washing machine beside the dryer. He opened a dryer sheet packet and tossed one sheet into the dryer door, then picked up a pile of clothing on top of the machine.

He walked over to Neji and pushed them into his arms. "Here. Put these on."

Neji picked out a black shirt from the pile, asking, "And this is...?"

"Dry clothes," Gaara answered. "Put them on so I dry your clothes."

He turned his back to Neji and walked over to the dryer, beginning to fiddle with the settings. Neji did as he was told though and began pulling off his clothes. He had to be fast though. He still had bruises that he didn't care to share with the redhead. Just because Gaara shared his wounds didn't mean he was going to. He had the black shirt at his feet, so he tugged off his gray jacket and his long sleeve shirt and bent over for the black shirt. He pulled it on quick and eyed Gaara for a moment.

The redhead was standing before the dryer, staring at the picture above it. It looked like a family portrait, but it was only a younger Temari and Kankuro with a white dog between them. Gaara didn't even blink at the photo though. He just kept staring at it like he did with the lightning before.

Neji shook his head and started to button his jeans. _He's such a freak sometimes._ He pulled down his jeans, letting them drop to the floor. As he stepped out, he touched the waistband of his underwear. It was wet also, which meant either way, putting on a pair of dry clothes would be pointless. He sighed, but started to reach for the dark jeans when Gaara turned around.

"You changed..." The boy started, taking a quick glance over Neji's body. However, once the glance landed downward, he finished, "...yet?" He blinked and turned around quickly, saying, "There's boxers in the pants leg."

Confused, Neji looked down where Gaara's eyes lingered. He forgotten he had worn light colored boxer briefs. The water saturated his underwear, pretty much putting himself on display for the redhead boy whose ears was starting to match his hair. Neji hung his head in embarrassment, knowing his face was probably turning pink too. _Why does this stuff only happen to me? Fuck my life._

He let out a heavy groan of shame and reached into the pants legs, fishing for the boxers. He felt a soft material and pulled it out. He quickly hopped out of his underwear and into the boxers, scared that someone might walk in while was changing like Neji did to Gaara. He put on the jeans (despite their bigger size) and bundled up his wet clothes.

"Uhm, Gaara? I'm done."

The redhead turned around, less pink than before, and nodded. He took the clothes from Neji's hands and tossed them into the dryer. Right as Gaara closed the door to the dryer, Kankuro appeared in the doorway. He was still in his black attire, but the makeup was gone. Neji could actually see a strong jaw that made him look a bit more masculine. Regardless, the only features he saw Gaara and Kankuro share were the round tipped nose and the thin, pale lips they had.

"Yo, brat," he called out to Gaara. The boy looked over to Kankuro wordlessly, waiting for him to continue. Neji was a little relieved that he didn't only treat Neji like that, using minimal words to get the message across. Kankuro continued though. "Daddy _dearest_ ain't making it to dinner tonight," the older boy said, sarcastically emphasizing on the 'dearest' part. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Got caught up in work or something."

Gaara shrugged and pressed the 'start' button on the dryer. "So?" he mumbled.

"You'd think he'd make time for us after last month of working," Kankuro remarked.

The redhead turned around and leant against the dryer that began to rumble. He mentioned, "Temari's dinner."

His brother pouted and nodded, agreeing, "Yeah, I know we had Temari's dinner, but for that was for her, not us. Besides, you skipped out on that. Where the hell did you go anyway?"

Neji averted his eyes from the two, not feeling like getting in the middle of their discussion. Or be revealed to be the source of why Gaara apparently skipped a dinner. However, he was thrown into the mix anyway.

"Neji." That was Gaara's explanation. Instinctively, he looked up at his name being called, but Kankuro was looking at him strange.

Kankuro pointed his thumb at Neji and asked Gaara, "You skipped to hang with him?"

"Yeah."

"...Okaaay?" A dumb smile spread across his face though, eyes lighting up. "I'm glad you have a friend now."

It was Gaara's turn to pout as he started to say, "He's no-"

He was cut off when Kankuro turned back to Neji and asked, "Are you wearing my clothes?"

"Mine won't fit," Gaara answered for Neji, starting to stare down Kankuro.

The brother ignored his younger brother's glare, continuing with his original topic. "Anywaaay, you'd think he'd be around a bit more. He has all the time in the world to run this fucking town, but not enough time to eat with his kids?" He blew a raspberry and crossed his arms again. "He sucks."

"Runs this town?" Neji asked. He was curious because of the wording, but it sounded like Gaara's father was something important.

Gaara shook his head and grabbed Neji's wrist, mumbling, "Lets go."

"Hey, wait," Neji protested, but Gaara was already pulling him towards entrance of the laundry room. Kankuro moved out of the way, but he asked again, "What do you mean 'runs this town?'"

The redhead turned his head, demanding, "Shut up and lets go."

"Runs this town, you know, like a mayor. Actually, he _is_ the mayor," Kankuro explained despite Gaara practically yanking Neji away from his older brother. Neji tried to dig his heels into the carpet to stop, but without socks, he was getting major carpet burn. Gaara only tightened the hold on his wrist and walked forward, not bidding his brother a good bye at all. Neji saw that Kankuro was watching them leave with a strange smile on his face. As they neared the staircase, he shouted, "Don't break him, Gaara!"

Gaara stuck up his middle finger and started down the stairs with Neji clumsily trodding behind, still trying to take his wrist out of his hold. Despite his look, Gaara had a grip like a vice. Neji was confused though, if not pissed off. The redhead was acting so weird since he stepped his own house and now he was dragging Neji away from his brother just because his father was mentioned. He wanted some explanations and he wanted them now.

"Gaara, stop walking," Neji told the shorter boy, but he kept walking down the stairs. They stepped onto the second floor with Gaara dragging him down the left hall. "Will you stop for a moment?" Neji asked, pulling at the boy's hold. Okay. He was pissed.

He halted and finally jerked his hand from Gaara, shouting, "Stop!"

The redhead spun around and stepped up to Neji as if he was ready to punch him or something. Neji almost flinched, but saw Gaara stop a few inches away from him. He lowered his eyes though, hissing, "What?"

That nasty 'what' snapped any patience Neji had with the redhead. He stepped forward and glared down at the vertically-challenge brat, hoping he had a look that would burn straight through him.

Instead Gaara basically turned it into glaring contest and chided, "Don't make faces like that, you'll get wrinkles."

"What the _fuck_ is your problem?" Neji seethed down at him.

"Mine?" Gaara asked, pressing his barren eyebrows. "You're the one that yelled at me first."

"Because all I want is some answers," he tried to plee with the fiery redhead, but Gaara was still mad too.

He rolled his eyes, echoing, "Answers? You want answers? Answers for what?"

_There's no fucking reasoning with him!_

Neji groaned and stepped away from Gaara, running his hands over his face and through his hair, tugging at the ends. "For everything! Nothing makes sense. _You_ don't make sense!"

He turned around, continuing, "Ever since I fucking met you, you've been this big Rubix cube I've been trying to figure out, but right now, all I want to do is smash you into a million pieces!"

"You're the most frustrating person I've ever met! You space out, you get angry for no reason, you hardly talk, you don't even eat, you get us in all sorts of stupid, illegal shit that would get us in trouble, and on top of that, you have the fucking nerve to _lie_ to me about your own goddamn flesh and blood? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Neji turned back to Gaara, continuing his rampage. "I don't give a shit if you like me as a friend, if you don't, if I'm just a fucking kid to play around with, but don't treat me like I'm your errand boy who will be at your beck and call just because you have some mental issues you like to take out on me." He sarcastically smiled, adding, "Oh yeah, I forgot, it's just so _stressful_ to be a little spoiled rich kid, isn't it?"

Any amusement that was in Gaara's face at this explosion was gone in a second. "Money has nothing to do with anything," he declared. His pale hands clenched in fists by his leg, it looked like he was ready to swing at Neji, but he remained still.

"Heh, really? Because I don't think I ever met someone unhappy who had money. So, what's wrong with you? Grown bored of having everything you want on a silver platter?" Neji sneered at the infuriated 'prince.'

Gaara finally made the first move and shoved Neji as hard as he could, shouting, "Don't talk like you know me!"

Neji fell down, landing on his back with loud thud. (Un)Luckily, he had experience with this type of treatment, so it didn't take long to recover from it. He sat up on his forearms and snarled, "I _don't_ fucking know you, so how the hell you do expect me to treat you?"

"Like a normal person!" Gaara replied, looking less angry and more sad. "Like you did before!"

Unfortunately, once Neji was on a roll, it was hard to stop the mouth on him. He got up, slightly stumbling from his limited balance and moved forward to Gaara. "But you're the _furthest_ thing from normal," he muttered, making sure it was quiet enough that he had to focus in on it.

For once, Gaara appeared to have nothing to say. Not because he didn't want to say anything, but because he couldn't think of anything to say.

For once, Neji regretted his words during his anger. Not because he said something harsh, but because the look on Gaara's face was tearing him apart.

xoxo

_The Sea has felt electricity before, it's a conductor after all. The jolt of angry clouds, shooting arrows at him and making loud claps, scaring away his creatures, but he never dealt with the Moon like this. Not once had the Sea and the Moon fought, but the clouds... they forged an alliance. They had to._

_Why else would the Moon strike lightning through the heart of the Sea?_

* * *

><p>(1). <strong>Mr. Gatsby<strong>: Jay Gatsby from '_The Great Gatsby_,' book by F. Scott Fitzgerald. You must have seen the trailers for the 2012 movie remake with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey McGuire. Yeah, that movie/book. This book is practically an English requirement to graduate high school. Point is, he's a rich, cultured man but suffers from lost love and such.

**A/N**: Oh noooooez, our not-so starcrossed friends have fought! This is baaaaad (and much different from what I originally plotted, but new music inspiration changes plot.) Anyway, I actually got it in on time this time. Sweet.

**Update** sometime in August. Happy reading! Reviews are nice.


	9. Passenger

EDIT: I may come back and fully edit this since I don't really like this chapter that much. Just saying.

A/N: So... a lot of you are upset with me. Yes, I promised a chapter in August and maybe September. Writer's block. Writer's block is super awful and messes everything up. I will say, I did have half of this done by the beginning of September and all the creativity went _pphhlt_. The only reason why I've finished this chapter NOW is because I forced myself to free write without editing anything. I went back and edited and I have to say, not happy with this ending, but at least you guys will have an good chapter to talk/criticize about. Once again, sorrys :(

**To guest/random reviewers**:

BrookieHyuga: HERE'S YOUR CHAPTER FINALLY! Sorry man. Btw, I do admire your enthusiasm for even messaging me about it XD Makes me feel all nice & tingly inside.

lolscat: Whoa! Anger! XD I like it. intensity, haha.

OI: (Wo)Man, never said I was giving up, but writer's block happens and I can't help it when it does :( Thanks for waiting though.

GO READ NOW!

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><p><span>Passenger<span>

A week of absolute silence. Not even static noise buzzed in Neji's ears. It was a dead still during the first week of October and it was Neji's fault for it.

Although what he said to Gaara was rather tame, it shut the redhead up quick. Any snappy comebacks appeared to die in the boy's throat. The shorter boy's face was torn, with lips parted and blue eyes wide. They trembled in anger, yet began to fade into a listless state, a sign that his words took effect. As Gaara's eyes drifted downward from Neji's face, the tension in his body followed suit. Like a deflating tire, all his limbs loosened up. His fists unfurled, allowing ivory pigment to return to his white knuckles, just as his shoulders sagged in loss. He'd lost the verbal fight, so this was his defeat, these were the consequences.

Neji dropped his glare and acknowledged the victory, although it wasn't meant to be enjoyed. He'd said something that struck the boy close to home. He couldn't take glory in an unintentional cheap shot. With a little pang in his heart, he dared to take a step towards the morose redhead. He reached his hand out to touch his shoulder and murmured, "Gaara?"

At the moment of physical contact, the shorter boy was broken from the melancholic spell. His head shot up, eyes brimming with a spark of something bad. Something real bad, as if Neji's touch reignited the flames. Gaara drew back from Neji and growled, "Don't fucking touch me!"

With crazed eyes, he began to distance himself from Neji. He bared his teeth as if he was going to bite, but his eyes looked sorrowful, scared, defenseless. His fingers started to curl oddly like they were reaching for something before burrowing under the hem of his t-shirt. Gaara's make-shift turtle shell of a sweater wasn't present to hide. He was exposed and he knew it.

Neji didn't have much of a chance to figure things out when Gaara reigned in the animalistic look. He quickly tucked his hands into his pockets and looked away from Neji. He muttered, "Whatever" as if nothing happened and started to walk towards the staircase, ignoring the confused face Neji wore.

He tried to reach for the redhead once more, only to scare him off further. Gaara twisted away from Neji and slipped down the stairs, avoiding any eye contact with Neji. The brunet did nothing but watch his shadow disappear behind the cream walls of the stair case. What could he do after what just happened? Absolutely nothing.

Standing alone in the vacant hallway, his heart dropped into his stomach. He had botched his mission to figure out Gaara as soon as he rebelled. What for? Over the lousy fact of Gaara's father being the mayor of Sunaville? Was it worth exploding and letting two weeks of frustration out on him? Probably not. After that performance, he was sure he couldn't crack the nutshell that was Gaara. Or at least not from within the inner circle.

All logic of chasing after Gaara was deemed illogical. As a result, he followed through with a back up plan: find Kankuro. It was hopeless to chase after Gaara. He probably didn't want anything to do with the brunet boy, besides Neji didn't know the home well enough to _try_ to find him. As he started walking up the flight of stairs, it was abundantly clear that he could have made a dash for the front door and leave the mess he created. However, he didn't want to be a coward and flee. He was a guy, he had pride, and pride declared that he has to fess up to his mistakes from time to time. Fights like that should blow over after awhile, right?

He arrived to the third floor and he turned left, walking towards the end of the hallway where he believed Kankuro came from. It was a black door, Kankuro wore black, it was pretty hand in hand. All he could hope for now is that he allowed Neji to stay with him until his clothes dried or the rain stopped.

He stopped before the dark door and knocked once. The door almost immediately swung open to reveal the older brother wearing a smug smile as he asked, "You fucked up, didn't you?"

Neji was surprised that Kankuro guessed correctly and begrudgingly nodded. "How did you know?"

"Why else would you be here?" Kankuro asked. He stepped aside to allow Neji in, adding, "Besides, with the way this place was built, shit echoes. I could hear y'all yelling."

The brunet buried his face in his hands, starting to apologize already. He did feel bad for saying some bad stuff, but at the same time, he knew the perspective of an older sibling. Messing around with the younger blood could piss off the older blood. Kankuro seemed nice enough, but he was prepared to earn a second black eye if need be. Instead, Kankuro placed a hand on Neji's shoulder and told him, "Quit it, man. That's just embarrassing."

Neji shook his head in his hands. "No, it isn't. I would never put up with someone starting shit with my little sisters."

"Understandable," Kankuro agreed, pushing Neji towards his black sheeted bed to sit down on. The brunet sat on the edge, the only clear spot on the bed to sit. He watched Kankuro take a few steps back before dropping onto the purple bean bag in the middle of the room. He continued, "But the only two reasons why I'm not shoving my fist down your throat is because your Gaara's first friend in a while and you gave him a freaking reality check right there. More harsh than needed, but it is what it is."

"I know," Neji admitted, sighing with discontentment. "I didn't mean to say everything I said. I just..." He dropped off the sentence, aware that wasn't a real excuse he could say to release him from the responsibility of the fight.

The carrot top brother reached behind the beanbag chair and pulled out a carton of cigarettes. "My only disagreement with you in your speech is those comments about being a spoiled rich kid. Saying that about him is saying that to me and Temari, you dig?" Neji nodded, noting his indirect insult to the older siblings. "We're not spoiled. And Gaara is the furthest thing from spoiled, so don't jump to conclusions."

"Why'd he get so upset at me?" Neji asked, curling a leg behind his other. "I mean, yeah, I know I said some bad things, that happens when I snap, but as soon as I said-"

"'You're the furthest thing from normal?'" Kankuro inserted, raising an eyebrow at the sheepish brunet. He awkwardly chuckled, making friends with the fiber in the carpets as the older brother spoke once more. "Well, you wouldn't feel very good if someone called you a freak, would you?"

"No. No, I wouldn't," he admitted. _God, you don't even know how often _I _get it._

"I know he doesn't act normal, but he's still a teenager. He takes offense to comments like that, especially from someone he willingly opened his house foooor..." Kankuro dragged out the last word, knowing he was starting to guilt Neji further. The brunet understood the reason for it though. You can't fuck with younger siblings and get away with it scot-free.

Neji sighed and told him, "He walked away and left me in the hallway. I don't know where he is."

Kankuro shrugged, shifting in his bean bag chair, spinning the carton around in his hands. "Gaara's not going to come back to you. Not yet."

"Not yet? How do you know he'll come back at all?"

"Because I know my brother," Kankuro explained, smile making its way across his face. "It'll take time for him to get over it though. When you leave today, you're not going to see him for a while really."

"A while?" Neji inquired. "What's 'a while?'"

The older brother scratched under his chin, mumbling, "I don't know. A few days, a few weeks..."

"Weeks?!"

"Hey, don't think you're getting it bad. You've haven't been on top of Gaara's shit list before, so a few weeks is leniency. I stick a stink bomb in his room, he bitches and bitches at me over the summer break until school starts. You call him a freak, maximum three weeks of silent treatment. Take it in stride," Kankuro told him, starting to reach into his jean pockets. He pulled out a lighter and placed it on the floor. He opened the carton, pulled a cigarette out, and held the box out to Neji. The brunet declined with a wave of his hand. Kankuro shrugged, mumbling, "Whatever."

As Kankuro lit up the cigarette, Neji asked, "Well, obviously you heard me making the 'spoiled rich kid' comment... what did he mean that 'money has nothing to do with anything?'"

"Good question," he was able to say through purposely clenched teeth, trying to lit the dangling cigarette. He lit it and puffed at it, turning off the lighter and tossing it somewhere in the room. He took a deep breath and blew out the smoke with a relieved sigh. Sure, Kankuro was enjoying it, but Neji was trying his best not to gag at the smoke mingling with his nostrils.

"So, answer to your little question, it really has nothing to do with anything, after all, you were questioning why Gaara behaves the way he does, right?"

"Yeah," Neji told him.

Kankuro hacked a little and explained, "Well, money doesn't change a person that much if you've grown up with it. It goes in three directions: you have this realization thing that there's poor people and you start becoming a socialite essentially to toss your money in various charitable events. Our dad does this from time to time, but we always have plenty left over for us. You can be a little snot that thinks because you have money, you can rule the world with an iron fist. We're definitely not that because we were raised the third way: normally."

"Just because the money is in our blood doesn't mean we get it when we ask. Temari, Gaara, and I were raised the same way as you and other kids. We have to _earn_ our money." Kankuro took a big breath of his cigarette and blew it out. "We do chores, we get money. Otherwise, there's nothing in our wallets. Well, we _used_ to get our money like that," he said, rolling his eyes.

The older brother slid down on the bean bag chair, settling his butt on the carpet and back against the bag. He shot Neji a serious look and said, "I can't explain every reason why Gaara is like the way he is. He hasn't even told me everything, but I can definitely explain why being a 'spoiled rich kid' is a serious insult to us. You want to know?"

Neji straightened up and nodded his head. He was craving an answer, any freaking answer to figure out Gaara, even something as minute as having a part of his family life revealed.

"Okay, you know earlier I said that our dad couldn't make it to dinner with us?" Kankuro asked. "This isn't a rare occurrence at all. I mean, we literally see the man once a week or only during the night, catching him getting a midnight snack or something. We might as well not have a dad."

"When you came to the house with Gaara, Temari was probably sweeping up. That's because we don't have maids. We don't have cooks, butlers, window washers, laundry cleaners, etc. Everything that gets done around the house is by us three. All that man does is say 'good afternoon' or 'night' to us before disappearing into his office. He doesn't treat us like his kids until it's convinient for him like public events and private dinners with his snooty politician friends. Then we're fucking stuck together like velcro."

Kankuro's face started to contort into a silent frustration, squeezing the end of his cigarette between his fingers. Neji was beginning to understand the tension between being called 'spoiled' and not being it at all, but he was also starting to feel bad about this relationship the three siblings shared with their father. Neji had an excuse for a shitty father, he was an alcoholic, but their father? He was mayor. He had to be a fully functioning member of society to obtain such a high role in the town, so why would he be essentially ignoring his children? Grown up or not, kids need a father figure, not a shadow of one.

"You're starting to understand what's going on with us, huh?" Kankuro asked, smirking at Neji's thinking face.

Neji stuck his tongue out and said, "Don't stop on my account. Wrap up your story."

"Overall, it's been like this since four, five years ago. He cut us off completely from his mind and we've been left to fend for ourselves. It was already starting to happen earlier than that though. Imagine little Gaara at eight years old trying to cook his own damn dinner because no one else would serve him anything on a 'silver platter.'"

Neji's comment was coming back to sting him. He imagined a smaller version of the redhead boy just tall enough to see over the counters, tossing instant mashed potatoes into a pot of water. The whole house being empty except the boy. No wonder Gaara made the grim face he made when they made it into his house. This place is made up of bad feelings and memories.

"I wish I could say Temari and I helped him out with food, but around that time, we were ten, twelve. We were trying to find any reason to stay at our friends' so we didn't have to come home to an barren house. Gaara unfortunately stayed in the house most of the time, so he got the brunt of the neglect. That's why he's a self-reliant brat. He doesn't trust anyone to do jack shit for him unless he does it for himself." Kankuro finished up his cigarette and crushed the stub into a nearby plastic container. "So there. One answer to your billions of questions, right?"

"Yeah. One answer," Neji repeated while in deep thought about the way he treated Gaara. He really had no idea how bad he struck a nerve with his 'spoiled' comment. If he knew that Gaara was dealing with total child neglect, perhaps he wouldn't said something like that.

Although Kankuro revealed one aspect of their secret family troubles, he shut down on the Gaara and family topics, switching to movies and music in preoccupy them while Neji's clothes dried. He participated in the conversation as much as he could, but ended up listening to Kankuro the majority of the time. During which, he muffled the boy's voice in his head, lost in his own thoughts. There was one thing that was nagging at him during the entire explanation, but was too afraid to voice.

_What about your mother? Where was she during this?_

He remained silent about his questions and continued to listen to Kankuro talk until he told Neji to check on his clothes. They were dry, ready to change into. As he replaced Kankuro's clothes with his own, he glanced out the window of the laundry room and saw the once heavy downpour had faded into a light mist. It softly attached itself to the glass pane until it piled up and ran down a single stream. Neji took this as a sign to leave now while the weather was tolerable.

After getting directions back to his street, he walked down the flights of stairs, expecting to run into Gaara or Temari, however, he didn't hear a single sound in the home. He stepped onto the first floor and looked around him, but saw nothing but the empty kitchen on the right and the empty dining room on the left. He walked up to the double front doors, noticing his socks and sneakers were placed there. He pulled them on and opened one of the doors, feeling a surge of something run along his skin. Goosebumps settled on his forearms, however, he ignored it and walked out.

Neji quickly shut the door after him and took the porch steps fast, not taking any time to be in awe of the cobblestone driveway or the sublime greenness of the front lawn. He even dismissed the large gate at the end of the driveway that slowly opened for him. He squeezed through the slim opening and ran down the block, feet stomping through shallow puddles draining off the sidewalk.

From the moment he stepped up to the house, all he wanted to do was leave. Now that he was leaving, he pushed through the urge to look over his shoulder and ignored the faint ache of guilt in his side. Although Neji ended up running from his problems, he'd be back the next day to apologize and make amends if Gaara allowed it.

It didn't happen though.

He boarded the bus as usual the next morning and scanned for the redhead boy. Their seat was empty. Neji shrugged and assumed this was the 'not seeing him for a while' part Kankuro spoke about. It was clear that he was avoiding Neji. Truthfully, he didn't mind on the first day. It meant he didn't have to apologize with a hoarse voice or explain the new wounds.

x - o

Coming back from back from Gaara's, he had the plan to get back to school, however, he didn't know how. Gaara was the one who knew how to sneak out and how to break in. Neji didn't have the experience. He didn't want to wait in the rain either, so he took a chance and went home.

The moment he opened the front door with his key, he was ambushed by his mother who tried to shoo him out the door. She didn't want Hizashi to see his early arrival from school. Amidst the shoving from his mother and slight struggle from Neji, Hizashi spotted his son. Several exchanges of words came from both child and parental parties which ultimately ended in the favor of his father.

Neji was punished by being locked in his bedroom for the rest of the day. Solitary confinement as his father called it. It wasn't an original or new form of discipline, but it was better than a physical beat down. He treated it like the many times he had dealt with it before. He was already equipped with a water bottle to piss in, some cheap candy to feed himself, and he even had mouthwash to rinse out his mouth. He was prepared for bodily problems, but not the emotional. Neji being removed from the rest of the home meant there was no one to protect the girls. It was open season for attack if they weren't careful.

For Neji, the rest of the day was much of a blur. He had completed his homework too fast for starter's. This disappointed him since he wanted something to distract him for a longer time. His room wasn't made up of personal items of entertainment, it was for dealing with his home life. Tucked in the closet was a first aid kit while the box beside his bed was his inhaler, Neosporin and Icy Hot, and heavy duty cough medicine and sleeping pills to help sleep on particularly rough and loud nights. There wasn't much fun coming out of his room.

At some point, the girls arrived from school where he could hear them being greeted by their mother. Hinata asked where Neji was. Father replied, "Locked up." The subject was dropped instantly.

A few more hours passed, mainly with Neji taking brief naps and doodling on scraps of paper from his backpack. He was utterly bored out of his mind, but lacked anything to truly do. He wished he hadn't killed the batteries in his Gameboy from playing with Hinata. He could have played Pokemon, Mario, or Tetris and instead, he was scribbling Mario in his Algebra II notebook.

It came to the part of the night that dinner was being served. He could smell the aroma of chicken leaking from under the door. Neji was practically salivating at the thought of food, but was stuck with offbrand gummy bears and caramel to keep hunger at bay. He sighed and began to consume the little square candies, listening to the idle chit chat from his beloved female kin. Every so often, he heard his father's beastly grunt in response, other wise, he remained silent the entire meal. From what it sounded like, everyone was on guard and made sure not to bother father.

Neji heard the table being cleared and Hanabi's giggling. She was probably on the step stool trying to wash dishes with her mother and getting splashed by some of the water. He had the slightest flutter in his heart. It was always a relief to hear his youngest sister as innocent as ever despite their lousy home life. She still had a shred of chastity in her and he was glad for it.

Although a smile started to spread across his face, a loud thump from outside halted it. Neji pressed his ear against the door and listened for another sound. All he could hear was feet shuffling in the kitchen. There were quiet murmurs, then a high pitch yelp.

Neji jumped to his feet and banged the door with his fist, yelling, "Mom? Mom!" With no response, he pressed his ear against the door again. He heard heavy feet stomping across the floor and a small whimper from one of the siblings. He shut his eyes and pressed his nails into the door, praying, '_Please no, please no, _please _no._'

Smack! A sudden crack echoed from the kitchen, followed by a loud cry and another thud.

As a broken voice wailed, "Hanabi!," a cinderblock crushed his heart.

He hit her. He hit her. _He... hit her..._ It began to replay in his head, still not processing the way it should be. _He hit her. He hit her. He hit her._ He tried to understand it, but, _he hit her._ _No_, he kept telling himself. Trying to convince himself he was lying but, _he hit her._

"Fucking brat. Quit crying!"

Smack. Another shrill squeal.

_He _fucking _hit her._

Neji's body fell into auto pilot, running on instinct than logic. He dug his nails deeper into the door, clawing at it like a feral beast. His blood was boiling through his veins, banging relentlessly at the piece of wood. His chest ached more than anything he could imagine. He knew Hanabi was on the floor, crying, begging. And that bastard was staring down at her like a piece of trash. Like she was the gum under his shoe. Like she was nothing but a waste of sperm.

"Let me out!" He bellowed, mauling at the door with all the force he could. Neji threw his shoulder into the wood, still trying at the door knob. Anxiety was running hot, blocking out any rationality he had left. He scratched at the door with no remorse of the thin drops of blood that was starting to fall from his fingers. He didn't want his own blood back, he wanted his father's.

"HINATA!" He roared for his sister. Neji pounded on the door, imagining it was his father's face, screaming, "Let me out! Let me the _fuck _OUT!"

"Don't you fucking get that door, girl!" Hizashi's gruff voice ordered.

Neji punched the door, cursing, "Fuck that asshole! Let me out, NOW!" He grabbed hold of the doorknob and jiggled it, still banging at the door. He wanted to rip his fucking throat out. He wanted Hizashi on the floor gasping for his last breath. To be thinking about every ill action he did in his entire life of being a father as he fell into utter darkness. _It's not even a double digit percentage of the pain he deserves!_

"If you even _think _about it..." He heard his father growl. There was another series of shuffles, hits, and cries that he couldn't name.

Revved up by sounds, he backed up as much as he could in his cramped room and charged at the door with full weight. He crashed against the door, shoulder out, only to be stopped in place. He got back up and lunged at the door again, yelling anything he possibly could to shift his father's attention.

"You fucking piece of shit! You think you're a fucking man picking on girls!? Why don't you man up and take me on, huh!?" He backed up and tackled the door again, only to crack the wood paneling. He slid to the floor and laid on the carpet, yelling through the bottom crack of the door. "Are you that weak that you need to slap around some flowers?"

Neji stood up and kicked by the doorknob, hoping to jostle the lock of place. Splinters from the door crack came flying at his face. "You're the most pathetic man on the planet, you know that?!" He continued to call out, exchanging weak kicks and sore shoulder slams. His body was growing weary fast, but he couldn't give up. He had to help. He could never forgive himself if he gave up.

"What kind of man beats his family?! What kind of man gets off on slapping his wife?! What kind of disgusting man can hit his own kids!" He yelled at his father, but his voice began to crack. Hell hath no fury like a (wo)man scorned(1), but what happens with the scorned lacks the ability to follow through with said fury? The noises on the other side of the door began to settle, the storm that was Neji was still at its apex.

He punched at the door once more, this time feeling the ache of his knuckles and the split of his skin. More wood chunks scattered in every which direction, including one into his hand. He reeled the fist back and shouted through the door cracks, "Why don't you-?" He started, but he choked on a hard sob.

_No, not now. Cry later, save Hanabi now,_ Neji tried to told himself. It became a harder mission though when the pain was starting to catch up to his brain. He tried to ignore bodily distress, continuing with his rampage. He shouted and screamed and yelled and cried any insult possible, but he didn't hear anything. He didn't even hear anyone walking to their rooms. Dozens of questions ran through his mind, growing concerned with this sudden silence. Did Hizashi knock them unconscious? Did he force them to stay in the kitchen? Did he _kill_ them?!

With little energy left, he threw himself at the door again, pounding furiously at the wood. "Mom! Hinata! Hanabi! Someone! Answer me! What's going on?!" Neji yelled, knowing he was reaching his limit of patience and strength. His eyes were starting to swell from holding back tears, but he refused to cry. It was a sign of defeat. He wasn't going to give in, no matter how hellish this punishment had become.

_What's wrong with me?_ He began to scold himself. _What kind of man am _I?_ I can't even break a fucking door to save my family? God, I'm horrible!_ He placed his head on the door and pulled back, headbutting the door once. A twinge of pain ran through his forehead. _Hanabi... I couldn't..._

"...no," Neji reminded himself. He shook his head, whispering, "No... can't give in." He winced as a sharp jolt ran through his fingers as he pushed them against the wood. "No matter what."

A brief consultation with himself revamped his determination, trying again at the door that stood in his away. He kicked by the doorknob, hoping to break the lock. He kept kicking and kicking, trying to think of Hanabi. She needed help and no one else was going to do it but him. Despite the motivation, it still seemed impossible. All the force did was make a heavy thumps that must have echoed in the house and more pretty toothpicks to litter his floor. The door wasn't giving up any time soon, still standing its own. Neji frowned and flipped it the bird before tossing in another kick.

Soon enough, his hits grew sluggish. He went from driving his heel into the door to having to use momentum to get his leg up in general. His muscles were drained, unsure how he was still even standing. Neji stumbled over his footing for a moment and put his hands on the door, pressing his mouth against the crack. He tried to yell for Hanabi once more, only to stop himself. His throat was on fire. He couldn't produce any noise than a gravelly cry from the hoarseness.

_No... I... It can't be..._ His knees finally buckled and he collapsed before his foe in a muddled mess. The door loomed over, wearing that crack as a battle scar than a sign of weakness. The flood gate burst open, letting his salty tears flood his cheeks, weakly trying to call out to his siblings with no voice. His body couldn't take any more of the abuse. His fingers were splintered, his knuckles were ripped open, and his palm was all scraped. His shoulder throbbed from his slams, feeling worse with each spasm. Yet, the physical harm was no comparison to his heart.

On the outside of the door, Hanabi was in a pain. She saw every vile action their father dished out to her mother and her older siblings, but hardly ever experienced. She saw the hurt and anger that flashed through Neji's eyes when he jumped in to protect mother or Hinata, but the one time she was hit, no one saved her. Mother is as worthless as used floss and Hinata is too weak to have an opinion, but Neji? He was supposed to be the guardian. He was supposed to be the one to step in to defend his family. The one time she needed Neji, he was defeated by a fucking door.

Neji dug his cracked nails into the carpet and bowed his head in shame. He couldn't hold in his guilt. It was gnawing at him, peeling away at his pride layer by layer. He hated himself. He felt every nerve in his body moaning in pain. He believed he deserved this brutality. That every trickle of blood from his hands were equal to every tear Hanabi shed because of their father.

He watched the blood being absorbed by the carpet, leaving eight little rings as he pulled his hands away. Wooden stakes stabbed at his calves, but he couldn't care less about it. He dejectedly stared at the wooden nemesis with a bittersweet feeling. It protected him from so much, then it turned around and prevented him from helping the others. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fucking fair.

Neji's vision started to blur as he stared at the large wound of the door. There was no stamina left in his body to do anything but sit and stare. Sit and stare at the door that grew darker and darker with every blink. He found it harder to lift up his eyelids each time. His body thrummed with dull pain, probably bleeding out of every body part that touched the enemy door. Neji had a hard time trying to stay seated up, as if a heavy tapestry was draped over his shoulders.

His pale eyes lingered over the door once more through the veil of eyelashes before shutting for good...

x - o

The brunet boy sighed, eyeing the red tinged bandages wrapped around his fists. Reminders of his weakness. He would have closed his hand in a fist, but it hurt too much to do so. Instead, he let them lay flat on his lap as the bus began to move.

Luckily, all his father did to Hanabi was push her and smack her across the face. Hinata got pushed too, but Mother endured a few punches to the body. According to Hinata, Neji didn't hear them over his yelling, because they _had_ gone back to their rooms to sulk. They were told not to speak to Neji, otherwise, they would have let him know they were fine.

Neji felt so stupid for it, but he was glad they were okay. Well, Hanabi not so much. She sat at the kitchen table this morning wearing a fake smile. She was practically straining herself to be happy and it was killing Neji. He wanted to tell her to just give up on the false happiness, yet he knew it'd hurt her even more. Hanabi had made it her role in the family to be the chipper mascot, the tension splicer. If she didn't fulfill that role, no one would. They'd all be equally miserable every single day of their lives. Neji hated that she put that responsibility on herself, but it was the same thing he did for himself, taking on a role of being the 'protector.'

_We're so dysfunctional,_ Neji thought, raking his bandaged fingertips through his hair. He let out another sigh, settling in the seat, and distracted himself from his inner monologue by listening to the quiet murmurs of his fellow peers. At least they led normal lives.

x - o

Although the English teacher was in the middle of a lecture, Neji's attention kept shifting between the lesson and the empty desk beside him. It shouldn't have distracted him as much as it was, yet it did, leaving the brunet annoyed. Kankuro warned him that Gaara would be avoiding him, but was he really going skip English just to not see Neji? If so, the situation was more severe than he anticipated.

_Ugh, I need to stop being so conceited,_ Neji thought, shaking his head in disapproval. _Who am I to assume it's my fault? Common sense would say the reason he's not here or on the bus would be either he's sick or had a family obligation. We _were _in the rain a while yesterday. A cold isn't out of the question._

The brunet rested his head on hand, thinking,_ Then again, Gaara was pretty dedicated to pretending to kill me with a fake sword. He could be just as dedicated to avoiding me too._ He let out a shallow breath and leafed through a few random pages of his book, attempting to follow along with the teacher. He turned his head to the desk once more, inspecting it for any sign of life. A Sharpie marker, some glitter, a strand of red hair? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Neji faced forward again, realizing he lost his place in the book from spontaneously flipping. He groaned and slid into his chair, a little upset about the silly mistake. Today was going to be a bad day. He could tell already.

"Hey," a hushed, flat voice called. Neji looked to his left, but then remembered Gaara wasn't there. The only other person who talked to him in class was Sasuke. He really wasn't in the mood for the awkward moment, but he turned his head towards the boy.

Sasuke had his head propped up by his stack of books with his chin on top. His head was angled enough to look like he was facing forward, yet making the effort to have his eyes on Neji. It looked incredibly painful to Neji, but it didn't seem to affect the dark-haired boy since he gave Neji a small smirk. His right hand reached for the small book on his desk and held the open page for the brunet to read. He was surprised by the sudden act of courtesy. He hadn't been nice like this since his first day. He wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he quickly read the number and flipped to it in his book.

Neji mouthed 'thank you' as Sasuke placed the book back on his desk, appreciating the act of kindness. The brunet was ready to get back to the lesson when Sasuke called out again. "Hey, Neji," he heard from beside him.

The brunet frowned and kept his face forward, tilting his body to the side to hear Sasuke better. "What?" he mumbled.

"You shouldn't be distracted by no one beside you," Sasuke told him, adding a small chuckle to the end.

_No one?_ Neji risked it and looked at Sasuke wearing some smug smile. He shook his head, informing Sasuke, "Gaara sits there."

The dark-haired boy shook his head, insisting, "No, no one sits there." Neji raised an eyebrow, unsure if Sasuke was oblivious or blind. How could he not see the bonfire of red hair sitting two desks down from him? More so, there was no one sitting in the desk Neji took, so did he just never look to the left during the first month of school? Sasuke pulled his head off the stack of books and leant back on his chair, grabbing hold of his book and lifting to eye level. He turned his head, telling Neji, "Sit with us at lunch today, okay?"

Sit with Sasuke and his gang? Was that another gesture of hospitality on Sasuke's part? Neji wasn't sure if he was just messing around with him today or genuinely inviting him. It's not like he tried to get his attention any of the other times when he sat with Gaara. _I don't even think people looked at us walking together through the cafeteria. _Neji bit the bottom of his lip, deciding to take a chance on sitting with them again. Not like he had anyone else to sit with anyway. He nodded, earning the tiniest fraction of a real smile from Sasuke.

"Good," he replied. Sasuke switched his focus to their classwork and Neji found his eyes rolling back to Gaara's desk.

_Where are you?_

x - o

"Hey, what happened to your hands?"

Neji glanced up from his almost devoured hamburger. The scruffy brunet boy, Kiba, curiously eyed the bandaged hands holding the burger. He figured he was going to get asked at some point about his wounds. He came up with the story of spilling boiling water on his hands by mistake while making dinner. As long as Neji's hands kept wrapped for as long as it took to heal from 'second degree burns,' no one would bother him about it. He opened his mouth to answer when he got cut off by the ponytailed boy, Shikamaru.

Shikamaru waved his hand at Kiba, telling him, "Oi, don't bother the kid. Bad enough his hands are mummified, he doesn't need your dumb questions."

"Shikamaru, shut the fuck up," Sasuke interjected. He pointed his sandwich at Kiba, saying, "Kiba's just wondering. Don't chew him out for nothing."

The ponytailed boy shook his head. "No way. It starts with one question which leads into a bombardment of invasive questions." He turned to Neji and said, "I'm saving you, man."

Neji weakly smiled, but remained unsure about sitting with the boys. From the moment of arrival, he had deja-vu from his first day of school. They were loud (minus Shikamaru), made offensive, but funny jokes, talked about people and things Neji didn't understand. He felt left out. At least this time, they had the addition of multiple arguments.

It was clear to see that Sasuke was sort of the ringleader of the table. He genuinely enjoyed the eager faces Kiba and Choji wore as they listened to everything he said. There were a few random people who walked up to the table to say 'hey' to him and even a few girls stopped to compliment or ask him about his day. Not only was he the ringleader of the table, he was a popular guy in general. Who'd figure a jerk like him could even be liked? Neji didn't.

Kiba and Choji, they were like Sasuke's followers. Kiba tried a little too hard to impress Sasuke, making jokes and saying vulgar things, only to earn a 'hn' or a short chuckle from the dark-haired boy. Although the responses were minute, it still seemed to make Kiba happy. The plump boy, Choji, he just went along with what everyone else said or did. It was sort of sad in Neji's book. What happened to having a sense of personality? No one should depend on someone else's to get through the day.

Then there was Shikamaru, the only person that seemed to be neutral or against what Sasuke and Kiba said or did. He kept silent a majority of the lunch time, only speaking up to correct something or to inform Sasuke that he said something inappropriate or stupid. Sasuke would attempt to defend himself since he couldn't be wrong, but it usually landed in favor of Shikamaru. It was definitely an intriguing friendship between the four boys from Neji's observation. He wasn't sure where he would fit in with this group. All the roles seemed to be taken and Neji was just an extra in the background, watching the leads from afar.

Neji popped the rest of his hamburger in his mouth, continuing to listen their conversations until the bell rang. The boys started to get up and said 'bye' to Neji. _Right, they have P.E. together_, Neji remembered. He nodded in response and watched Sasuke, Kiba, and Choji walk out. Shikamaru was still getting his papers together. His eyes looked up at the brunet, then towards the door that led outside.

He leaned over to Neji, mumbling, "Red," then pointing his head towards the door. Shikamaru shuffled the papers and notebooks in his hands and nodded at Neji, leaving him to figure what he just said.

"Red?" He whispered to himself. Neji looked behind him at the door. There was nothing there except the blond boy and the pink haired girl walking from the door. He shifted his eyes when the blond made eye contact, staring at his black binder. _Red?_ _Is Shikamaru fucking with me? Did he mean Gaara?_

He looked behind him once more. Nothing red was identifiable as red. He sighed and bundled his books together, heading out the doors with the rest of the people. _Whatever._

x - o

Neji anticipated a barren seat on the bus like the previous day. A long, boring bus ride with a cold space beside him, but lo and behold, Gaara was actually there. Wrapped up in a heavy black sweater, his red hair seemed brighter and his pale skin looked ghostly. All his other physical traits seemed to be in order though. His frown was present, his eyes stared out the window, and his hair was just as messy. They were all signs as if Gaara was pretending nothing happened. As Neji took his seat beside Gaara and tried to speak to him, his idea of 'fine' was clearly void. Gaara turned a cold shoulder to Neji and halted his apologetic words. Blue eyes found a place on a speck on the window, brushing off anything Neji had tried to say.

He wasn't surprised by a reaction like this. It was expected Gaara would still be mad, but he wished he would have gave him a chance to speak at least. Neji began his apology in hopes he'd at least hear something over nothing. Another surprise occurred when the redhead actually up'ed the cold shoulder to a wall of ice. The boy dug into the bag on his lap and pulled out a massive pair of headphones and an mp3 player. He slid them over his ears and cranked the music as high as possible. Yeah, he wasn't going to give Neji a chance at all.

Neji thought about how he could talk to Gaara in English in the few minutes before class started. He had to listen then, he wouldn't have headphones. What a fool he was for thinking that. In English class, the headphones were replaced with tiny earbuds. He watched Gaara's thumb roll over the volume and raise it as high as he could again, making sure Neji's voice couldn't penetrate the fortress of music. It pissed Neji off to no end. He _really_ couldn't take five seconds to listen to what he had to say?

A las, in a last ditch effort to apologize, at the end of class, he stood and reached for Gaara's shoulder. A repeat of the hallway happened. Gaara slipped out of his grasp and fell in line with the stampede of people leaving the class. Neji stood in awe and rejection. Kankuro wasn't kidding. Actually, he _under_estimated the silent treatment. It was more than that. It was what the Amish called a 'shunning.' No speech, no looks, no contact in any form towards the 'shamed.' Although Neji was familiar with social isolation, it seemed to burn worse when it came from one insignificant person:

_Gaara._

Four sets of curious eyes towards Neji during lunch. He wasn't sure why they were staring, so he continued to look at his half-eaten chicken sandwich, wondering whether or not he could finish it. A hush fell over the seated boys until all was heard was the sounds of Choji crunching on his chips. He felt their eyes on him still. He took a risk and glanced up at his company. Eyes remained perched on him without a single word, like they were waiting for something. _Quit staring at me,_ he silently told them. _It's uncomfortable._

Since his inner pleas were ignored, he frowned and picked up his sandwich to divert his attention. With two bites in his mouth, Kiba surprisingly broke the still with, "What'd you just say?"

He finished up the bites and asked, "What do you mean 'what'd I say?' I didn't say anything." _I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything._

"No, no, you said something," Kiba told him, looking back and forth between Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Choji. The other boys nodded in agreement and focused back onto Neji. Kiba leaned over on the table, glancing around as if he was about to say something dangerous. This only made Neji worry more about his words. "Did you... say 'Gaara?"

In that moment, it felt like the entire cafeteria grew quiet. Like 'Gaara' was the magic charm to cancel all sounds around them. _Gaara? I didn't say Gaara... did I?_ Neji put down the sandwich to answer, but found himself looking into three shocked faces and one patient one, waiting for Neji's response. _I guess I did. Shit. But I don't understand. I thought they couldn't..._ "You can see him?"

The second those words left his mouth, Neji felt like an idiot. _'You can see him?' The one time I have their attention that I could have used to ask a question about him, I say that?! Fuuuu-'_ His mental scolding was nothing compared to the awkwardness he felt, watching the guys exchange disbelieved eyes with one another like he was a mental patient.

As his face began to heat up, someone actually broke the silence. "Duh, we can see him," Choji surprisingly spoke up. The boy nodded and took a bite of his sandwich. "Kind of hard to miss," he muffled.

"Seriously. Have you _seen_ how fucking red his hair is?" Kiba said. He broke into an absurd smile, joking, "It's like he's a walking tampon."

Sasuke almost snorted milk out his nose upon hearing his joke, breaking his constant scowl. He placed his head on the table, unable to hold back his laughter. "Oh my freaking God, Kiba!" He laughed, tilting his head over. It was the first time Neji witness anything more than a smirk from the dark-haired boy. He looked a lot friendlier with a giant smile on his face.

Choji and Kiba followed suit, bursting into hysterics. Although he wouldn't laugh out loud, Shikamaru's body was shaking with repressed laughter. Neji too couldn't help himself. For the first time in a while, he fell into a hard laughter with the rest of the boys, trying not to let that comparison stay in his head. The last thing he needed was to start giggling the next time he spoke to Gaara. Unfortunately, the laughter began to wane and the attention was beginning to fall back onto Neji.

Kiba wiped the drool off his face and asked, "Okay, okay, so why the random 'Gaara?'"

"Yeah, you miss hanging out with him?" Shikamaru asked. He pointed a thumb by the back doors, saying, "I told you Red was back there yesterday."

_Oh, so he _was_ there? _Neji rolled his eyes. _Well, your information was a bit too late if I didn't see him._ "Yeah, you did," Neji admitted. "But when I looked, no one was there. I thought you were messing with me."

Sasuke 'hmph'ed,' face returning to his signature frown. He signed and muttered, "Don't know why you'd want to hang out with no one."

"Sasuke, stop being a dick and drop it, alright?" Shikamaru snapped.

The dark-haired boy stuck his nose up. "Why should I? He _is _no one."

Neji raised his hands up, interrupting, "Whoa. Can I ask a question?" Since no one denied nor allowed him, he continued with his request. "What is with this 'no one' business? I've been hearing this for like, the past few weeks."

"Easy," the dark-haired boy said. He curled his fingers under his chin, replying, "That snotty brat you hang out with is simply nothing. If he wants to pretend that the rest of us are nobodies, then he's nothing too. He's a no one, an empty space."

_A nobody? Wait, I thought everyone else started acting like he wasn't there, not Gaara. Why would he willingly become a 'ghost' and brag to me about it?_ Neji began asking himself. _So Sasuke's group isn't the only people who call him 'nothing'?_ _But that __blond haired boy notices Gaara, so it couldn't be _everyone.

Deciding on wanting an answer to one of his questions, he asked, "Why would you call him 'nothing?'"

Sasuke opened his mouth to deliver something snappy, but Kiba spoke up before he could. "Because he started it first!" The dog boy leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "One year, he was cool with everyone and bam! Next year, he's an asshole. Yelling at people for touching him, talking to him. Year after that, he just stopped talking in general. He just like, fucking stares at you until you walk away. I don't freaking get him."

Choji nodded in agreement, sharing his story. "One time in lunch, I dropped my bag of chips. As I go to get them, he just steps on them while he was walking. He only looked down at it once and kept going. Not a single apology, jerk."

"Essentially," Sasuke piped in. "He started it. If he doesn't want people, fine. We're just helping him out. No one talks to him, no one looks at him. And he returns the favor. Win-win for all."

"You may not speak to him, but damn, you sure talk about him."

All the boys' eyes fell on to Shikamaru who sent a Sasuke a smirk. _Why do I feel like this isn't going to end well?_

Sasuke put on a false smile, asking, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, for all the years you hated Gaara, you still can't take his name out of your mouth, that's all."

Kiba and Choji let out a quiet 'oooh' and looked over to Sasuke for a response.

He bit down on his lip for a moment. "You know, I don't understand why you bother to defend him. He left you and Naruto's sorry asses and yet you're clinging to this false sense of loyalty to him, as if he still fucking gives a shit about either of you," he seethed through his teeth.

Kiba and Choji remained silent this time. When Neji looked over at Shikamaru, he understood why they didn't cheer on Sasuke's reply. Shikamaru still held a poker face, but he didn't seem as happy as before. There wasn't a cocky glint in his eye like before, just a bit of hurt.

The ponytailed boy swallowed as if he was trying not to yell and said, "Well, he may not give a shit about me anymore, but I guess it's not as different from our friendship either, huh?"

_Holy shit,_ Neji thought, looking between either boy now. He was astonished. He was witnessing the deterioration of a friendship before his very eyes. Shikamaru's poker face had already cracked into sadness and anger, while Sasuke's was shocked, much like Kiba's and Choji's. They had now moved on to distracting themselves from the scene, starting to pick at the crumbs on their lunch trays.

It was awkward for the other boys, but for Neji, he could tell that this was a long time coming. This sudden weird burst of emotions wouldn't have occurred though if he didn't mumble Gaara's name. This meant that their friendship was probably holding on by a string regardless. Not wanting to be a part of this sudden stare down Sasuke and Shikamaru held, he followed Kiba and Choji's example and picked up the chicken sandwich, scarfing it down despite his stomach pains.

After a cold silence, someone spoke up, Sasuke. "Whatever."

With that, there was a squeak of the chair sliding against the linoleum floor and footsteps disappearing from Neji's hearing range. He glanced up to see Kiba and Choji shifting in their seats, unsure what to do or say. Not like they had the choice in the matter. Shikamaru stood up from his seat and mumbled a 'later' before leaving the opposite direction of Sasuke.

Luckily the bell rang a few seconds after he got up. Kiba gave Neji a quick bye and went after Shikamaru with Choji on his tail. Once again, Neji was on his own, stuck on wondering what the hell had just happened.

x - o

By the time Neji reached his home at the end of the day, he realized that lunch provided him with more questions than answers once again about Gaara. Sasuke did see Gaara and simply referred to him as 'nobody' and such. According to their discussion, the redhead ignored everyone first, so they returned the favor.

But at the same time, Kiba mentioned Gaara's past. He said that one year, he was 'cool' with everyone and the next, an 'asshole.' Did that mean that before, the redhead was actually nice? Maybe he spoke with other people and smiled. Not just small smiles or evil smirks, genuine happy smiles. It was sort of odd thinking of Gaara doing something like that. He did witness Gaara's anger though, so he could imagine him yelling at people, but was he really as rambunctious as Kiba said? Then again, Kiba seemed to be one of those over dramatic people.

Although Kiba, Choji, and somewhat Shikamaru referred to Gaara as 'nothing' too, why did Sasuke have such resentment when he did it? The others casually said it without anything really snotty about it, but with Sasuke, there was just this anger. Shikamaru did say that Sasuke hated him for years. Did Gaara do something to Sasuke he didn't like?

And the final question plaguing him was about Shikamaru, the blond haired boy, and Gaara. Sasuke said that Gaara left those two behind without a care, but what did he mean by that? Were they friends before? Did they talk and hang out like normal people?

Neji let out a frustrated growl and banged his head into his pillow, sending him into a nauseating mind spin. Trying to hold himself steady and not dispose of his chicken sandwich so soon, he started to rationalize his situation with Gaara. Was he really worth all this effort? Was the answers in the end going to actually mean something to Neji or was this just a mystery meant to kill time?

The brunet sighed. All he knew was that no matter what, he couldn't imagine himself not by the redhead's side... for whatever reason that was.

x - o

On the third day of shunning, Neji found himself as a hot commodity for Sasuke. Almost at the start of English class, Sasuke offered Neji to copy his homework (bragging that he was a straight A student) and got annoyed when the brunet turned it down. He told him he could do his own work (adding that he too was a straight A student). Sasuke grumbled something and turned forward, leaving Neji alone.

In the middle of the lecture, he turned back to Neji and invited him to the table once more. Neji declined immediately. He wasn't in any mood to witness a high school cold war between Sasuke and Shikamaru.

Sasuke assured him that Shikamaru wasn't sitting anywhere near their table. That only solidfied more of a reason to turn down his offer. When he asked why, Neji heard a little snort from beside him. Neji looked over to see Gaara with a fist over his mouth, corners of his mouth twitching as if he was going to laugh. Of course, when they met eyes, all expression blanked and that tiny hole in the ice wall was filled again.

"Why do you bother with _that?_" He heard Sasuke ask.

Neji ran his hand through his hair, unable to reply with anything but, "Fuck off, Sasuke."

x - o

Shikamaru almost spat out a lump of hamburger listening to Neji's retelling of earlier today. "You told him to 'fuck off?'" He let out a small chuckle and leaned back against his chair. "You have balls."

"Doubt it's balls," Neji mumbled, looking off towards Sasuke's table. The three other boys ate and laughed like usual although Neji saw the flittering glances towards Shikamaru from Sasuke. Whenever they met eyes, the dark haired boy would look at his tray and say something to Kiba, letting the loud mouth's laughter distract from the awkwardness. Neji sighed and looked back to Shikamaru. "He's just annoying."

The ponytailed boy shrugged, saying, "Either or. You're lucky you're new. Most people couldn't get away with that."

"Let me guess. Popular?"

"As fuck," Shikamaru bluntly finished, taking a sip of his milk. Neji saw a heavy sigh fall from the boy's mouth as he looked over at the table too. Even before Neji had a chance to blame himself, Shikamaru interrupted with, "It's not your fault." He took another sip and said, "It was a long time coming. Not even sure why I made friends with Sasuke. Guess I got to blame Kiba for it, but he's aware of the situation."

Neji raised an eyebrow and asked, "What situation?"

"Well, before we were friends with Sasuke, it was just me, Kiba, and Shino(2)-" Shikamaru paused and scratched his chin, "Wherever the fuck Shino went. I think he's in cyber school now. Remember that sunglasses dude the first time you sat with us?" Neji nodded although the memory was vague.

"Yeah, him. Just us three basically. Kiba's always been a people pleaser and sort of a social ladder climber. He's not very confident in himself, so he kind of uses people's popularity to put him in the right places. It sounds shallow, but he's really not. He just wants to impress people and get himself out there.

He made friends with Sasuke in freshman year biology I believe and we've sat with him and that Choji kid since. By association, other people started talking to Shino and Kiba, so I guess it worked out for them." Shikamaru placed his hands behind his head. "Me on the other hand, I just want to get left alone sometimes."

Neji was a little disappointed in the tale. He had hoped that Shikamaru would go a little deeper into the past and talk about Gaara, but it started with Kiba and Shino. He needed an answer for something though. The most insignificant thing that wouldn't make Shikamaru believe Neji was checking up on Gaara during this shunning he had happening with him.

"Shikamaru?" The ponytailed boy nodded. "Why does Sasuke hate Gaara?"

"I'm not sure," Shikamaru answered after a few seconds. "Maybe because it's something to do. I mean, I know why he disliked Gaara in the past, but not now. He has no reason to."

Neji remembered one of his questions from the night before. _Did Gaara do something to Sasuke that he didn't like?_ He had the perfect entrance point. He quickly spit out, "Did Gaara do something?!"

Shikamaru looked taken aback at the excited outburst. _Shit. That was too obvious._ Thankfully the ponytailed boy just began laughing. "Whoa, calm down, eager beaver."

The brunet scratched his head in embarrassment, quietly apologizing, although Shikamaru ignored it, moving onto a (hopefully) fulfilling answer. "Well, in the past, it was jealousy."

"...Jealousy?"

"Yeah, believe it or not, high and mighty King Sasuke was an insecure preteen. He too was like Kiba and was a social climber and tried to stick to Gaara."

Neji almost dropped his jaw. _Gaara was popular?!_

"I know, I know," Shikamaru smiled. "I know that face. Yeah, Gaara _was_ popular. I mean, that tends to happen when your dad is the mayor." He stopped and looked at Neji, asking, "Did you know that already?" Neji nodded, holding back the information that he also learned about Gaara surprisingly wealthy status.

"So, yeah, people tend to come and suck up to you when your daddy holds the reins in the town. Always wants to come over your house, borrow money, go to the private shindigs with all the other socialites in the nearby city. Sasuke was jealous. Gaara didn't have to do shit and had people inviting him to their houses and birthday parties and all that stuff, so he pulled a Kiba and tried to be friends with him.

Didn't really work though. Their personalities didn't click. Sasuke was pretty conniving and Gaara... well, he was just innocent, naive. I used to be the one who had to put him into check when people approached him."

_So, they _were _friends?_ "How did Sasuke get popular then if he wasn't friends with Gaara?"

"The year Gaara turned into an asshole, Sasuke also hit the peak of puberty and ended up as a handsome guy basically. Since Gaara was M.I.A. socially, people flocked to Sasuke. That should have been the end of this hatred Sasuke had, but it isn't." Shikamaru shook his head and sighed, concluding, "I really don't understand anything after that. Maybe he just really doesn't like him."

Neji didn't want to ask anything else. He thought it'd be a little too obvious if he asked anything more than he had already. In the end, he still knew nothing about Gaara other than he used to be popular and apparently innocent and naive. He found out more about Kiba and Sasuke than he did his real target. In conclusion, this lunch was a failure for information.

As lunch started to wrap up, Shikamaru nudged Neji in the shoulder. "Red's over there."

Neji turned his head to Shikamaru who pointed towards the back doors. The bob of familiar red hair slipped through the doors and past one of the lunch monitors who didn't bat an eyelash at him. "Why don't you talk to him?" He heard Shikamaru ask.

The brunet boy shook his head, silently counting down Gaara's step to the exit doors and the bell ringing. How did that every time amazed him. "We're not talking now," he answered Shikamaru. He stood up and gathered his stuff only to be nudged again.

Shikamaru gave Neji a smile, telling him, "Don't worry, whatever it is, he'll get over it."

Neji stood dumbfounded at the boy's words. _He knows we're fighting?_

Much like Gaara's mindreading abilities, Shikamaru shrugged and said, "You're not the only who's gotten his infamous cold shoulder." He picked up his books and gave Neji a wave, beginning to leave the table. "Later, man."

The brunet watched Shikamaru walk into the crowd, falling in line with Kiba and Choji. Shikamaru struck up a conversation much to the irritation of Sasuke. The four continued to walk out and soon it enough it was just Neji and random stragglers, hoofing to their next class. The boy took his time though, left with a lot of things to think about.

_More questions than answers, more mysteries than conclusions._

* * *

><p>1.) <em>Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned<em>: A wonderful line from William Congreve's play 'The Mourning Bride.' This line is paraphrased though. Essentially it means, you piss a woman off, someone's head is going to be mounted on a fireplace. Of course, Neji ain't a woman, so I did have to put some parenthesis.

2.) **Shino**: Holy crap, did everyone forget about him? I think everyone did. Yeah, he was here in the second chapter of the story and disappeared afterward. Just thought I'd bump him back into place. He matters too ;3

**A/N**: Sorry still. Since I'm running slow on inspiration currently, it may be a bit before I get anything else done. As a precaution:

**UPDATE** will be in either November to January. I don't want to rush myself and get stuck again. Thanks for reading. Reviews are nice.


	10. Norway

**A/N**: New chapter.

**NOTE**: In case you get confused in the first section, I'm going to clarify it beforehand. **Present** Gaara is having a flashback to the day before **Flashback** Gaara then has a flashback to the day of his and Neji's fight, semi-explaining his side of the story, the aftermath, and why he didn't show up to school the next day. IT'S SOME MEMORY INCEPTION SHIT, PEOPLE.

Anyway, read on!

* * *

><p><span>Norway<span>

With one inhale of the browning leaves around him, Gaara felt at peace with himself. He always enjoyed autumn, getting to watch green leaves go through their colors. A dark orange to a dull yellow to a vibrant red that will fade into a grim brown before withering and falling to the ground. A beautiful process before winter comes and mutes nature's colors. Gaara had nothing against winter though. It had its own unique beauty with glistening snow and plentiful icicle structures hanging off of porch ledges and roof gutters. It also benefited his reason for his sweater use, but the lack of color made the four months monotonous. White after white after white was not a sight he wished to see.

Gaara reclined his head against the bark of the tree, taking in the skyline of tree tops. Between the branches, he spotted the smallest section of green, open land. It was a lovely sight from his height. _It's a shame that these trees will become naked._ He glanced downward at the ground, viewing the scattered assembly of leaves on the ground. _Most of their clothing are on the ground anyway. They must be cold._ He considered this viewing the last hurrah of the autumn trees since the littered floor of the Majestic Forest spoke volumes of its longevity.

_Ah, yes, the magical land of bears and whimsy_. He had been visiting it more often than he expected, but for what reason? He felt the need to be here, relaxing with metal structures and watching the branches dance, just waiting. A meaningless, unexplainable waiting game. For the past two or so weeks, the redhead's Converse guided him through the woods without any indication that they were traveling to the Majestic Forest. All he knew was that his destination would be right before him whenever the limbs decided to stop. He'd take a seat inside a bear or climb up the tree ladder and relax on the edge of the platform and wait. For the length he aimlessly waited, he'd contemplate the reasons why. Why was he here on days he didn't feel like playing? Why was he here on days he should have been doing homework? Why was he here during the chilly weather he despised? And yet no answer would conclude from the thoughts he had fumbling through his head. How he wished that the human brain could stop using intricate maneuvers to outwit himself from the truth.

The closest he got to an answer was yesterday when he headed off to lunch. He slipped through the cafeteria, past Iruka, crossed the field, and walked along the pathway to the lunch tables. He finished off his pudding, soft cookie, and milk and needed something else to kill time until the bell rang. The Majestic Forest was the easy solution. As he began to walk the path, he looked down, checking on the seeds he'd planted and soon discovered a red spoon lodged in his eye.

A loud "FUCK!" echoed through the forest as Gaara winced from the sting and whined from the eye throbbing.

He began to wonder why there were spoons in the trees to begin with. He remembered. "Neji."

The pain of his eye was forgotten as he remembered the brunet's harsh words: '_You're the furthest thing from normal_.' The redhead felt his body freeze up, unable to function correctly. It was like a computer with a magnet placed on the CPU. It created a discombobulated assortment inside of him, emotional programs all trying to run at the same time. Shame, anger, sorrow, loneliness... And then when he put his hand on Gaara after? Like fuck he had a right to do that! He said exactly what he wanted to say. Neji wanted to hurt him!

Neji brought up not knowing anything about Gaara and asking how he's supposed to treat him. Gaara told him the same way he did before, like normal. And then that comment. That one quiet comment that rung through the redhead's mind and ceased all tasks. He was speechless, thoughtless. When the brunet reached out for him, it was the reboot button. Gaara snapped momentarily, but returned to normal and left as fast as he could.

_Why_? He asked himself. _Why would he say that_? Gaara was well aware he wasn't average. He wanted nothing to do with his 'peers,' so normalcy was not his social goal, but thinking about that brought up another 'why.' _Why do I care what he thinks_?...

He felt a twinge in his heart as he replayed the comment in his head again. It stung worse and worse every time it cycled. Gaara saw that flicker of anger through Neji's eyes, supported by the vein in his forehead as he yelled. However amusing Neji's complaints were, his insult felt worse than almost anything Gaara experienced. It wasn't a quick, witty jab, it was a brutal stab that still left him bleeding like an hemophiliac.

The redhead crouched down next to the tree and hugged his knees, briefly remembering after he left Neji behind in the hallway. He went straight to his father's private entertainment room and proceeded to open the smallest bottle of the strongest alcoholic beverage that was provided at the fully stocked bar. He was aware that alcohol could not solve his problems. He heard enough alcoholic tales from health class, but he just didn't want to hear the words in his head. '_You're the furthest thing from normal_.' He carefully sipped on the drink, staring at the tacky, fake fire place on the wall. Although it felt like he was swallowing liquid fire, it was doing its job.

Numb, numb, numb. Even the burning aftertaste didn't feel like anything after awhile. And Neji? The thought of him did nothing to his mind or body.

Or at least for fifteen minutes when Gaara met his limit. He couldn't remember it clearly, but he probably began to slouch over, unable to use his body properly thanks to dizzy nerve receptors. He'd never admit it to anyone but himself, but he was a lightweight, the expected result of being of a 'light weight.' Didn't make it less embarrassing though. The last thing he remembered was falling over to the side and something cold pressed against his cheek. He shut his eyes and opened them, realizing it was morning. Judging from the limited eyesight of swollen eyelids, he assumed that he fell asleep crying. Worse than being a lightweight, he was an emotional drunk, the most pathetic drunk there was. He chose to skip school that day since he had a nasty hangover and bloated eyes, but he unfortunately did not feel better that morning anyway. He laid in bed all day, staring at the ceiling, beginning to see Neji's words spelled out in the stars above him, taunting him.

_I'm not a freak..._

Gaara closed his eyes and sighed, tightening his knee hold. He hated feeling exposed. He hated feeling sensitive and vulnerable and everything. He cut off ties with Neji, not wanting his source of distress by his side, yet with solitude within his grasp again, it felt strange. He felt more alone than he did before...

Gaara's mind returned to present day, feeling the same ache in his chest like yesterday and closed his eyes once more.

_Four days without the Moon and the Sea is in chaos, thrashing and crashing at the wrong times. The Sea sent him away thinking he didn't need someone to help him. Conundrum: How does the Sea get the Moon back when he has moved on?..._

x - o

The bus rolled up to Gaara's house, blocking the driveway where the S.U.V. was just pulling up to leave. As Gaara strolled down the bus aisle, multiple obnoxious honks were heard in the background from the vehicle. The redhead could only sigh, thinking, _Kankuro, you're such a moron_.

He stepped onto the sidewalk and made his way towards the steadily increasing annoyance that was Kankuro. Through the window, he could see the cat-hooded boy likely yelling profanities that were cut off by the glass panes. For a legal adult, he was a child when it came to miniscule moments like these. He questioned his relation to the boy, almost to the point that he habitually dismissed their blood relationship to those who asked. He was not up to explaining how someone like himself could possess the same genes as the 'man' wearing cat ears and theatre makeup while repeating their second year of senior year. It was too embarrassing to acknowledge as a reality.

The bus was several feet down the block when the redhead yanked open the passenger door and yelled, "SHUT UP!" The loud shout caused one last blast to the horn from Kankuro's fearful slap on the wheel. The cat hood slipped off and revealed the natural orange hair that might as well have turned white from fear.

"Dude!" Was the first eloquent thing that left Kankuro's mouth once his mind and body calmed. Gaara rolled his eyes, not in the mood to get a scolding. His hand reached for the door frame, ready to shut the door and go inside the house, but he was cut off with, "Wanna go out with me?!"

_Go out? With you? You mean you want me to willingly spend the time I could us looking at my sky ceiling or reading to do whatever inane activity you have planned?_ He balled up his thoughts into a concise "No," and tried to shut the car door again.

Another cry rang out before the door shut. "Temari's boyfriend is over!"

The redhead stopped, slowly opening the door just enough to see Kankuro's eyes. Before he made any decision to get into the car, he needed to know if Kankuro was lying. They appeared a bit nervous, flickering back towards the house, not able to keep full focus on Gaara's. It was like he was trying to convince himself that his words were the truth. This caused great doubt to Gaara, but Kankuro rarely lied, especially about Temari's boyfriend. He was often the first to remind him of the boy's arrival. The redhead wasn't sure what game Kankuro was playing at, but he chose to play safe than awkwardly sitting in the same room as Temari tongue-fighting the significant other.

A grin filled up Kankuro's face as Gaara opened the door wide and hopped inside. It was the very same grin that worried the younger boy about whatever strange plans he had in store. Kankuro pulled up his hood, saying, "I'm glad you want to come with. You never want to hang out with me, man."

_I wonder why_, Gaara thought, pulling on his seat belt. _Oh, that's right. It usually ends with me hurt or making a fool out of myself. Why'd I get into this car?_

"You're definitely going to have fun," his brother tried to convince him.

He snorted and shook his head. His eyes fell outside of the car, wondering when he was going to pull out of the driveway. _Doubt it_.

"I have to go pick up a friend though, alright?"

Gaara's head snapped towards Kankuro in shock. _Not all right! _He mentally yelled at the carrot top. _I hate your friends. They're fucking weirdos with no understanding of how much I despise their existence. Ino shoves her chest in my face because she's a freak sadist. Lee doesn't understand personal space nor proper speaking volume. Android Sai has the social skills and emotional range of a spool of twine. Makes me look as deep as a goddamn soul singer. And don't even get me started on Cyclops Debbie. He's the worst of them and even fucking worse than that is that you make me have to see him more than any of your other friends. What do you see in him as a friend other than he can do your goddamn makeup?_

Kankuro was happily pulling out of the drive way, unaware of both Gaara's mental rant and the look on his face that screamed 'stop the car.' Although inner Gaara urged him to speak up against the travesty that could be resolved, he couldn't bring himself to speak up. The very little respect he held for his older brother prevented him from doing so. Whether it was from guilt or genuine care for his older sibling's happiness, all he could do was cross his arms, frown, and pray to endure the day with any strange marks or punching anyone.

The S.U.V. began its trip down the road, passing the houses he'd already seen on the bus ride to his house, including the small white house he'd sat outside of before, waiting for Nej- "Who?" He asked his brother.

"Uh, someone you don't like," His older brother admitted, beginning to turn onto a road called 'Wicker Road.' By the mere sight of the street sign, Gaara knew immediately who they were picking up. He reached down for the emergency brake like the last car ride he took with Kankuro, only to have his hand smacked away. "Oh, hell no, bro! We have cars behind us and I ain't getting into a three car domino crash," his brother informed him. Gaara glanced into the side mirror. He was telling the truth. There were two little cars behind them, practically riding their bumper.

_You're lucky. The next stop sign, I'm out of here._

Unfortunately, there were no stop signs. The S.U.V. keep moving on while Gaara made plans to skin Kankuro into a cat-themed kigurumi(1) to wear around the house for warmth. He sunk into the seat, aware that he probably wouldn't have a chance to run out since his friend would be waiting on the sidewalk. _Why'd I get into this car_? He asked himself once more.

He heard the little click of a turn signal and felt the car slowly park to the side. His crossed arms tightened as he eyed the small red townhouse. It was relatively normal with white shutters and a rocking chair on the porch, but had an amazingly handmade birdbath in the tiny patch of land deemed a 'front lawn.' The only reason why he knew it was handmade was because Kankuro's friend was an artist. _Albeit, a wonderful artist, but awful personality,_ he reminded himself.

Gaara felt a breeze on the back of his neck and heard a friendly screech from beside him. "DEIDARAAAAA!" and two follow up honks. Gaara groaned and pressed his face into the window, contemplating if he smashed his face hard enough against it, would he die or just get severely wounded.

"KANKUROOO!" Was the returned greeting that furthered Gaara's suicide decision.

The door he leaned on opened, leading the redhead to a momentary fall. He caught his foot on the step bar though and steadied himself back into the seat, eyes following the dark jeans and purple shirt in front of him. He reached the face of his most despised foe, the blond artist, Deidara. The blond's one seeable eye returned a glare down at the redhead, contrasting with the grim smile he held on his face. By now, insults would have been exchanged, but Deidara didn't speak up. He stood with the door wide open, looking down upon Gaara like he was waiting for something. The smaller boy crossed his arms and hissed, "What?"

"I'm sitting in the front," Deidara told him. He nudged his head towards the back seats, mumbling, "So move it, Ginger."

Before Gaara could even retort to the insult, Kankuro tapped Gaara's shoulder with a sheepish smile and asked, "Is that alright? You can sit in the front when we drop him off."

_Is it alright if I murder Deidara? You can drive back when we dump his body in the woods._

Gaara didn't get a chance to answer the question because his seat belt was undone by Kankuro anyway. Once beltless, Deidara yanked the small boy out of the seat by the forearm. Like a rag doll, he almost flailed to the ground, but Deidara surprisingly caught him by the waist and pulled him to his feet. Gaara elbowed the hands off of him, although he thought about thanking him for the save. He rejected it though as the blond shoved Gaara towards the back seat doors. The taller boy smirked and climbed into the passenger seat. He watched the long legs swing inside and the door shut, leaving Gaara outside the car, pissed off and ready to leave.

He wiped his mouth like he was getting rid of Deidara's bad taste and spat right where the blond stood before. He _loathed_ Deidara and now he provided yet _another_ reason to dislike him. He held a great deal against the cyclops, but by getting in the back seat, he would be indulging himself to another five to fifteen reasons to chalk up. It wasn't worth his time. Deidara wasn't worth his time. Gaara turned on his heels and began to walk way with absolutely no place to go. Home was off limits, Majestic Forest was less relaxing now. _I guess I'll just look for a new place. Adventures are infinitely better than sharing air molecules with Debbie._

Not even five seconds after starting to walk, he heard the sound of the car door opening and shutting and the yell, "Gaara!" He rolled his eyes, thinking, _Just leave me alone. There's nothing you can do to change my mind._ Heavy footsteps came closer to him until a meaty hand on his shoulder stopped him completely. "What are you doing?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara didn't turn back to answer. "Leaving."

"But why?" He asked. The voice grew softer as he said, "I thought you wanted to hang out with me."

The slightest ache bumped at Gaara's chest, but he refused to give in. "You, not _him_."

"But I want to hang with both of you. Can't you just put whatever you two have against each other aside?"

_What?! _Gaara turned around, ready to chew Kankuro out for such an idiotic proposal, but he was halted by the look on his older brother's face. He wasn't mad like Gaara assume he'd look. Instead, he wore worried eyes, sagging eyebrows, and lips parted enough to look like he was silently asking 'why' again. He looked straight into Gaara's cold blue eyes with such a nauseating elder sibling stare of concern. Gaara wanted to scowl. He wanted to put on an angry face or his indecipherable Noh mask(2), yet the guilt. The guilt he was admitting to himself was stopping him from the actions he wished to do. That little respect he held for Kankuro was fucking with him.

_Shit._

x - o

"So, how you doing, Ginger?"

Gaara's barren eyebrow twitched at the question. He would not give in. He would not answer that ridiculous question. He would not-

"Still haven't given up the makeup, Raccoon?"

He would not dare say anything. He would sooner dye his hair pink than give into the blond's trap.

"What? Not saying anything, Orphan Annie?"

He wasn't going to open his mouth. He would let his fist tightened until it resembled a perfect scoop of vanilla ice cream, but he was not go-

"Deidara, shut up," Kankuro cut in, returning to their table at McDonald's with their food. "You bugged him enough. I practically had to beg Gaara to come back. Don't drive him away."

_Thank you, Kankuro._

"And Gaara, put down the plastic fork. No stabbing."

_Oh, he noticed._

Deidara smirked at the redhead. Gaara imagined burning the blond to a blackened crisp. Kankuro looked between the two boys and sighed. Gaara knew exactly what he was thinking. This was going to be a long day.

x - o

After the incredibly tense fast food meal, the three climbed back into the S.U.V. (with Deidara claiming the passenger seat as his once more) and drove off to their first stop, the dollar store where Deidara worked. According to Kankuro's incredibly vague plan about their day, they would go by the dollar store, the costume shop, and the fireworks shop before heading over to the abandoned baseball field in the South part of the town.

Gaara didn't voice his opinion, but he expected something catastrophic to come out of this if his activities involved fireworks. He didn't trust the boy with anything that involved the word 'fire.' It brought on traumatic flashbacks of the 'Fire Ant Library Infestation of May,' back when Kankuro was in sixth grade. Fireworks would not lead to any good outcome. He could just tell already and he sure as hell was not going to be known as a co-conspirator of the 'Firework Brush Fire of October.' He would just have to keep a close eye on his brother's actions. Numerous packages of matches, a bag of red plastic cups, and six pinwheels later, the car was on its way to the costume shop, so far, the only highlight of the day for Gaara.

He hadn't been to the costume shop since last Halloween when Kankuro wanted to get a creepy costume as a mutilated animal. He remembered running off by himself in the store despite Temari's orders to stay close. It was something she wanted to do as a family bonding activity since his father was actually free. Instead, the redhead ducked through the tall shelves of plastic wrapped costumes of princesses and grim reapers, trying to find the real costumes. He wasn't going to bother with cheaply made wear. He was spoiled by his school's drama club wear that was hand made by the workers of the same store he stood in. After shuffling through a few more aisles, he found an open door with a 'welcome' sign tucked in the corner. If the sign welcomed him, he was going to make himself at home. Gaara stepped in and found the motherload, the same he wanted to go back to today.

The smell of teenage B.O. from around his neck reminded him that he was with two guys that weren't exactly interested in the makings or authenticity of period clothing. Rather, they preferred the scavenger hunt for the crudest and gore-like costumes they could. Kankuro continued to crush Gaara's neck with his arm as he led him into the purple building with Deidara chuckling at the obvious displeasure the redhead wore.

His shoes sunk into the plush black carpet, nostrils hit with the smell of unnatural fibers and plastic. _It smells like mediocrity_, he sneered to himself. Gaara shook his head out of Kankuro's hold and took a quick look around. Dark purple walls, wooden shelves with costumes hanging off or in them, random Halloween decorations dangling off the walls, purple Christmas lights hung overhead like a starry sky all across the store. _Same as last time._

Thick fingers slipped into his hair and ruffled it with Kankuro saying, "'Kay, we're gonna go find some shit. Go look around. Fetch you when we're done, alright?" Gaara smacked the hand off, despising his brother's need to touch him, joking manner or not. Kankuro continued to grin down at the peeved redhead before frolicking toward one of the aisles. Of course, Deidara made sure to give Gaara one last smile that made the younger boy run up and punch a hole in his teeth.

_Finally,_ he sighed in relief. _I'm alone._ He slowly spun in a circle with his eyes upward, looking at the skulls and pumpkin paper ornaments tacked to the ceiling. _Alone with something I actually like._

"Is there anything in particular you're looking for?" A quiet voice asked, taking Gaara by surprise. He whirled around in the direction of the voice and saw a dark-haired woman behind the counter by the door way. He guessed amidst his looking around, he missed the black counter blending into the shadowy entrance. The woman took notice of Gaara's silence and repeated her question, however, Gaara had begun to move onto finding the door from the last Halloween. Her assistance wasn't necessary. He walked through an aisle of skeletal themed items, able to hear the laughter of the two older boys in the aisle beside him. He rolled his eyes at their ruckus and turned right at the end of the aisle. Straight ahead was the open door from his past. The wooden 'welcome' sign was still propped in place, urging Gaara to step in. He walked under the strands of purple lights up until he reached the door way.

From the place he stood from entering, he could see slivers of raw materials stretched across a big white table in the middle of the room. Brown leather scraps with embellishment and lace ribbon that sat in spirals on the floor. Even with his imagination, he couldn't come up with what sort of project the costume maker was creating this time around. _They're probably seperate costumes. Lace doesn't go with heavy leather, especially with gaudy studs and grommet._

He carefully went inside and fought the urge to smile (unknown of another person's presence in the room) upon seeing the racks of uncovered garments hanging down in their full state. From the left of the room, there were kimonos with lavish floral and landscape designs floating down the dress and sleeves and late 1800s period dresses, decorated in simple calico prints of mauves, reds, blues, and whites, long enough to cover the ankles. As his eyes roamed over to the right, he saw Civil War era uniforms of pale blues and navy coats with gold painted brass buttons, while it's opposing uniform was the Southerner's gray coat and pants and stiff white cotton undershirts. Further through the room came all the other sets of clothing. French Baroque, English Victorian, Qing Dynasty era, and others that Gaara couldn't even recognize. The detailing for the garments were astonishing. Whether or not they were to be worn by someone in the town's theatre community or were simply made for a historical costume art event, they weren't just replications, they were thought out, physical interpretations of world history passages.

If he had the privacy, he'd slip into one of these costumes and re-enact any historical moment or scene from a television show he'd seen. He wouldn't even mind squeezing into a saloon girl sort of dress if he could successfully pull off a musical number from the 1953 _Calamity Jane_ movie. Gaara could not do this though. Although the room said 'welcome,' it did not welcome him to play dress up as an Native American warrior, a Soviet Union soldier, or a white-wigged King Louis XIII of France, no matter how tempting it was.

"Beautiful, huh?"

Gaara whipped around to see Deidara standing by him. The blond smirked, but said nothing, looking around the room the same as Gaara. The redhead sighed and agreed, "Yeah, it is."

Deidara stepped further towards the costumes and reached out for the hem of a kimono. He rubbed it between his fingers, saying, "It's hard to believe how much detail one can get into for mere costumes, hm? Embroidery, dyed, hand-painted patterns." He crouched down and ran his finger along the fabric, continuing, "The worst part is that most of these items will either meet their fate in the garbage, unless a fan of costume designs purchases them."

It was peculiar, but for all the moments that Deidara and him went back and forth, when it came to appreciating art, there was a neutral ground between each other. They were free to treat each other as humans until they stepped away from the scene, but until that moment came, Gaara took advantage of the lack of annoyance and joined Deidara by the kimonos. He softly picked up the sleeve of a light blue one with a soft-colored green, blue, and purple peacock motif. "I'd buy them," he admitted. And he would. Someone in this uncultured town had to. Gaara doubted there were any bidders in Konoha City or Kiri or any of the other cities nearby.

Deidara shook his head. "Doubt daddy will be happy with that."

He decided not to reply to the statement and looked up to the next section above the kimonos. Keeping in the Asian category, there were several dresses that he believed were chang'ao(3) from his angle. Gaara definitely have to give credit where credit was due. Most people wouldn't know the difference between kimonos and chang'ao, automatically assuming from the shape in the front that they were the same.

"This guy does good work," the blond commented, standing up and looking where Gaara peered.

"You think it's a guy?" He asked.

Deidara answered, "I don't think it'd be a girl."

"Why not?"

"I'm a bit chauvinistic, but I don't think a lot of women would have the patience to do this many pieces."

"This was done over a lifetime, not a few years."

"Still, I think a guy would be more ambitious than a woman."

"Whatever," Gaara mumbled, avoiding the potential feminist debate that could have occurred. Deidara was a woman-hater and while Gaara was a _people_-hater, he understood that there was supposed to be an equal playing field for both women and men in the career world. It was frequently touched upon subject at his home when Temari did or said things that would be typical for a man. The ruckus of the back and forth between his family educated him enough, but he wasn't in the mood for it with Deidara. Personal opinion is a hard thing to change.

"Gaara," Deidara called out. Gaara didn't expect the older boy to refer to him by his proper name, but he paid attention to the guy. The blond touched a sleeve of a red kimono and asked, "Remember when we tried to dye my hair?"

"No," Gaara automatically said. He turned back to the kimonos and touched the collar of one. He did remember. He wish he couldn't though.

Deidara continued, running a hand through his blond fringe. "Don't lie, dipshit." Gaara growled, but Deidara kept talkling. "I wanted to look like you, Kankuro, and Sasori, but I couldn't dye my hair permanently. So we went down to the market and bought some red Kool-Aid."

The memory filtered through his mind. The images of a younger Deidara with short hair and an eyepatch tugging at Gaara's hair, saying how left out he felt from the group. The little redhead tried to get Deidara's grubby hands off, but he didn't until Sasori plucked them off. Sasori was fourteen at the time, two years older than both Deidara and Kankuro and at least six years older than Gaara. Sasori led them down to the market and got some Kool-Aid. The afternoon was spent dying his hair, then-

"Then my mom flipped out at me," Deidara's voice slipped into his mind. He realized he drifted for a moment and scolded himself for such a stupid mistake. The blond crossed his arms and grinned at nothing particular, chuckling, "She thought I was bleeding or something, tried to take me to the hospital. She got double-pissed when she found out it was false coloring." He scratched his forearm, smile fading a bit. "I still have the photo we took. You know, the one with all us redheads as a single group?"

Gaara wanted to walk away from Deidara if he was just going to go on about things from the past. They happened and he wanted to move on from it. Too bad for him, he couldn't actually move from his spot. The younger boy's feet felt cemented in place, forced to listen to the rest of Deidara's reminiscing.

"I miss that," he heard the blond admit. Baby blue eyes flickered towards him, words still being spoken. He whispered, "I miss Sasori."

The words tumbled out before he had a chance to shut his mouth. "We all miss someone."

Gaara snapped his head to Deidara, realizing what he just said. The blond's pitiful eyes widened and immediately opened his mouth with something like, "I'm so-"

The redhead looked away sharply and pulled his hands into his sweater sleeves, cutting him off with, "We should go." And Deidara agreed.

x - o

"Took you guys long enough," Kankuro said, tapping the steering wheel. A thumb pointed to the bags in the backseat with Gaara, saying, "I got all of that in ten minutes. What the hell were you guys doing?"

Deidara answered, "Just checking out some of the custom costumes. They're really, really nice."

"Really really?" Kankuro repeated.

"Really really." Deidara propped an arm on the dashboard and asked, "Where next again?"

A bright smile spread along Kankuro's face as the word 'fireworks' rolled off his tongue. Deidara clapped his hands in enthusiasm. Kankuro might have looked back at Gaara to see if he was excited. Gaara wouldn't know. He was too busy counting the lines on his palms to take notice.

x - o

It was like Gaara relapsed back into his childhood. Time was becoming meshed together after his previous memory recall. He knew the car was heading to the fireworks store, but he was sitting in McDonald's with Deidara, listening to his insults, trying his best not to stab him in his good eye. He found himself standing a field with all of Kankuro other friends who started shooting straw papers at each other as they tried to drink their sodas, but he was in the fireworks store still, checking out some sparklers he convinced Kankuro to buy for him. Deidara grabbed Gaara from behind and stuffed him into the cart with the rest of the fireworks. Kankuro and Deidara tried to imitate their childhood, pushing him as fast as they could down an aisle. When they got yelled at, Gaara's head drifted back to the ride to the abandoned baseball field where Kankuro and Deidara sung along to Queen's '_Bohemian Rhapsody_.' There was no coherent timeline right now. There was no steadiness. He wanted his ceiling. He wanted his starry ceiling.

"Hey," Deidara mumbled in his ear. When he turned to the blond, they were no longer at the field, but outside the costume shop. Across the street, he saw the familiar body he rejected and another brunet boy beside him walking down the sidewalk. _Oh no._ A smirk wormed its way onto Deidara's face, as he asked, "Hey, isn't that your friend, Pearly Eyes?" He wanted to say no, but he knew it was Neji. How could you forget a set of eyes like that? When he didn't answer, the blond made a move without him. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "YO, PEARL!"

Both boys turned and looked in their direction. Deidara frantically waved at them, but the regular-eyed brunet waved back before lowering the hand to his mouth. A smoker. Gaara turned away from the guys and grabbed Deidara's wrist, pulling him towards the S.U.V with the blond going on about how rude he was. _Kankuro, you liar._

"Hey," Deidara mumbled in his ear. When he turned to the blond, they were no longer at the costume shop, but at the field, where he was in reality. The blond petted his culturally insensitive feathered headdress and asked with a slight slur, "What's your deal?"

Gaara shrugged. "What deal?"

"You know. You're... weirder than usual. What's up?"

What _was_ up? The night sky. The stars. The moon. The Milky Way. The universe. Or to be specific about himself, his anxiety, his paranoia, his comprehension of the situation. A little far off, his brother and his friends were playing around, shooting Roman candles(4) at each like morons. Gaara had been sitting by the food and drinks, not willing to be a participant in what would be a trip to the E.R. if traumatically hit. Deidara went out of his way to come over and ask how Gaara was doing. Why did he care anyway?

Gaara voiced his thoughts and asked, "Why do you care?"

"It's not that." _Well, at least I know you're being honest_. "It's just..." The blond looked over his shoulder and back to the redhead, saying, "You've been different since we left the costume place."

He pulled his hands into his sleeves and replied, "No idea what you're talking about."

Deidara stared down at his hands and said, "Yeah, right! You always cover your hands when we talk."

"My hands are just cold," Gaara reasoned.

"Or maybe you're hiding."

"Hiding?" Gaara asked. He rolled his eyes, unconsciously stuffing his hands further into the sleeves. "Hiding from what?"

Deidara didn't believe the ruse Gaara was trying to pull off though. He stepped closer to Gaara and said, "You _know_ what."

He felt a bit of tearing in one of the sleeves, dragging his nail down against the knit surface. What was Deidara playing at? What exactly did he know about Gaara that would make him assume that he was 'hiding' or whatever the fuck the blond assumed about him? Gaara shook his head and begun staring at the multicolored feathers on the blond's head rather than blue eyes piercing through him. The feathers tipped closer in and said, "This 'I don't need anyone' thing is wearing thin, don't you think?"

_No._ "Face it, you've grown tired of being alone. You're hanging with Pearl Eyes, right?"

"I don't need him," Gaara whispered to the feathers. He winced when he heard the loud pop of fireworks in the distance.

The feathers remained still from the noise and shook their heads in disapproval of Gaara's statement. They asked, "Oh, so is that why you wouldn't say hi to him earlier? Because you don't need him?"

_Stop talking already._ "You pushed him away, didn't you?" They asked, smugness emanating from the body residing under the tall-standing set of feathers. _Stop fucking talking,_ he ordered them, but they continued on. "You push everyone away." _You don't know anything._

Gaara's hands grabbed the headdress and attempted to rip it down the middle, scattering red and orange feathers everywhere. Unable to tear through the leather strap, he threw the mass into Deidara's face, and yelled, "I didn't do anything!"

Gaara started to move, but he wasn't sure where to. Time began to blur once more, finding that his footsteps through the dead grass were not leading him to the sandy baseball field where his brother resided, but back to the S.U.V. after school. Kankuro asked him to go out with him. He said yes before, but maybe... maybe he shouldn't go. Gaara shouldn't go. _I shouldn't go._ He shut the car door and turned back to the driveway. His feet moved forward, stepping over little pebbles and sticks sitting on the pavement. He heard Kankuro calling after him like earlier. He didn't turn around this time though. He kept going back home, to the forest, he didn't know. Then his feet ran. Ran as fast as they could down the sidewalk, blending into the baseball field's light posts.

"Gaara!" He heard behind him. Footsteps followed him as he ran past the school from the first day of school. He ran past the costume shop they'd gone to earlier and even past the church where he watched a baptism. Flickers of his memory kept seeping into his head from every time and place he could remember until a bright light stopped him in his place.

"GAARA!"

The terrified scream pulled him from the time loop he was caught in and he saw the bright light in front of him. Headlights.

His body met cold ground hard, arm skidding across the gritty surface like sandpaper. The air was knocked out of him from the weight that tackled him. He gasped for a breath, only to himself yanked up by the collar of the sweater and flipped over, facing the sky and an surprisingly angry blond with a frazzled fringe from diving. Gaara's mouth flopped open in its attempt to gain oxygen, but Deidara wasn't waiting until Gaara could breathe. He launched into yelling as soon as their eyes met.

"What the FUCK is wrong with you!?" Deidara pulled at his sweater collar and pushed Gaara back down for emphasis, effectively pushing out the air he just received. Gaara wheezed in pain, enduring the second half of these screams he couldn't believe was leaving the older boy's mouth. "You could have fucking died, okay!?" _Died?_ "You could have been a fucking river of blood flowing down the street!" _River?_

Deidara yelled, "Don't fucking ignore me, Gaara!" But he did. He couldn't concentrate on those words being tossed his way. His heart, it just kept banging away at his chest, too loud to decipher the slurs above him. Just _thud, thud_. He couldn't hear him over the jagged breaths he tried to take. His insides were a wreck and his head... he didn't even know where to begin.

Soon enough, Gaara found himself propped up against a wall by the baseball field, bloodied forearm wrapped in bandages. Deidara sat beside him holding an ice pack to his elbow that got banged up on the landing. They didn't talk about much after Deidara scolded him. They hobbled to the closest convenience store for a first aid kit and settled by a nearby church, watching the light show Kankuro and his friends set up. Neither were in the position to return back to the group with their wounds.

"I don't think they even know we're gone," Gaara mumbled, eyeing the green sparks against the dark sky.

Deidara shrugged the best he could. "Kankuro doesn't notice anything."

"What are we going to say?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what."

Deidara smirked at the mention of his past words. "Yeah... I know what," he sighed.

They stayed silent during the fireworks, letting the explosions and whistles fill the spaces. Gaara wished he could enjoy it. He wanted to be at the field at a safe, but viewable distance from the fireworks, laying on the lunch table. He couldn't go back though, not without an excuse for the stinging blotch of shredded skin. He'd have to face it eventually, just like he'd have to face those words Deidara said. There were a jumble of thoughts and feelings that rolled around in his head, all relating to his words. _Hiding_, he said. Gaara was surprised that Deidara spot things out better than his own family, however, he was still missing a lot of facts. A clever boy, but not bright enough to deduce a theory that didn't sound over all general.

"What happened?," pierced through his inner dialogue.

"What ar-?" _Oh, right. I said something stupid again._ Gaara shook his head and crossed his arm, accidentally gliding the damaged forearm against the other. "Nothing," he replied.

"Bullshit."

Gaara grinded his teeth. Deidara was purposely doing this to piss him off. He turned his head to reply with something snarky and saw a calm Deidara looking back at him. He seemed rather docile with his head against the wall, cringing the slightest when he adjusted the ice pack. The blond closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm serious, what happened?"

"Nothing," Gaara repeated.

"And I say bullshit," Deidara also repeated. He sighed, "We can spin this merry-go-round of avoidance for as many rounds as you like, but I'm not going to stop until you do."

"Why do you even care?," left his mouth without consent. It _was_ what he was thinking, but Deidara's answer would stir up trouble, Gaara knew that much.

As he mentally reprimanded himself for senseless word vomiting he'd been doing today, the blond looked down at him and asked, "Do I need a reason to?"

Gaara quietly snorted and mumbled, "Never cared before."

Deidara shook his head in disbelief and put his head back against the wall with a heavy sigh. He seemed exasperated with the entire situation. Gaara was too and they'd be out of each others' hairs if he would just drop- "Am I always going to be a bad guy in your eyes?" He suddenly asked.

_Bad guy?_ Deidara carefully moved his arm upward in an attempt to stretch his shoulder and brought it down with a hiss. He didn't look at Gaara as he spoke, watching the fireworks instead. "Do you really think I'm some asshole who goes out of my way to piss you off?" A pink firework burst and sent sparkles left and right in the sky. The pink bounced off of Deidara's pale skin, raising his voice to talk over a sudden round of fireworks. "I don't want to be an asshole, but you-"

"Me?!" He asked. A loud whistle rung through his ear and stuck a pinkie into the ear facing the baseball field. "You're blaming me for _you_ being a jerk!?"

Five other fireworks set off within seconds of each other, lighting up the sky in a disorderly mess of clashing colors. Gaara didn't have the chance to observe it with being preoccupied by Deidara yelling, "You treat me like a jerk without me even doing anything! Like-"

Gaara cut him off, leaning closer to minimize the yelling he had to do over the stupid fireworks. "You've _always _been a jerk to me!"

"If you're talking about when we were little, you're just being a brat! _Every _kid is a jerk when they're little, okay?!"

"No! You were always mean to me!"

"Yeah, because I was a _kid!_ You were the youngest in the group!" Deidara yelled back. He looked back at the baseball field and growled as another batch of whistles went off. "What did you expect, we treat you like a princess?"

"Fuck you, I'm talking about now!"

"Now?! I'm only an asshole now because you started it!"

"How did _I_ do that?"

"Because you were an asshole to me-!" Deidara's words drifted off near the end along with the speaking volume. The fireworks stopped after Deidara's 'princess' comment, meaning Gaara and him had just been yelling at each other for the past few seconds. He finished it up quietly, "First."

Gaara painfully crossed his arms. "Was not," was his immature words back.

Deidara frowned and looked off at the field that was covered in smoke. "You know what," he mumbled. He gently rubbed his injured elbow with the ice pack and said, "We're probably never going to get along. You have some fucking warped view of me that I don't even understand, right? It's like you only see me putting gum in little girl's hair and kicking puppies." He ran a hand through his bangs and stomped a foot on the sidewalk, scaring Gaara for a moment. He laid his head against the wall, admitting, "It fucking sucks, okay?!" He took a deep breath and groaned, "That no matter what I do, you'll never see me as an okay guy. We don't need to be best friends for fucking life. A 'hey, whatsup' once in awhile or a 'oh, how are you doing?' would be nice rather than getting chewed out for even looking in your direction, okay?"

_Oh, please. You expect me to believe that bullshit leaving your mouth? _Gaara thought to himself, glaring at the blond who stared at the field. _You just said some awful crap earlier and you're not even acknowledging that you made a common asshole mistake. Saying you're some good guy, as if! If that was the case, you wouldn't have even brought Pea- _him,_ into this, talking about my feelings and my thoughts like you know them. Asshole._

"God only knows how difficult you make it for someone to actually put up with you," Deidara continued, only ensuring Gaara's opinion as a jerk further. However, a little smirk crept on. "I wonder how Pearl Eyes did." A little smug eyebrow raised, asking, "How _did _he anyway?"

Gaara kept silent. It was not his business to know what was going in with Nej- _him_. Deidara would only take whatever information he could and twist it into some way to further torture Gaara.

"Or did you mean what you said earlier?" The blond continued to ask. "When you said 'you didn't do anything.' Did he do something then?"

The redhead groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "What's with this 'twenty questions' bullshit? If I said it's nothing, it's nothing, so drop it." Fed up with him, he started to get up, deciding he rather deal with Kankuro's questions than Deidara's questioning. The blond followed suit and got up as quick as he could. Gaara was already crossing the road when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Gaara!"

For a moment, he thought it was kind of funny how this was a replay of the beginning of the afternoon, but unlike earlier, he wasn't going to stop. _Fuck him_.

xoxo

Kankuro looked between the two boys standing in front of him. His own little brother was obviously lying about the bandages around his arm and the scraps on his hands. Even if Deidara 'tackled' Gaara to the ground, what reason would he even have for that? Gaara does nothing, but stares off into the distance or random things he thinks are pretty. And on the other hand, his blond best friend with an ice pack on his elbow couldn't be speaking the truth either. Gaara wouldn't accidentally walk into oncoming traffic. He was a smart kid, he wouldn't do something stupid like that. He knew how to look both ways before crossing the street. Between the two, neither story was believable, but there had to be a truth between the two, otherwise, why the hell would they be scraped up like this?

The worst part was that both of them were surprised when they showed up and he actually noticed they were gone. How could he _not_ know they're missing? Gaara, no offense, was practically a piece of furniture that traveled everywhere with him. He belonged and it felt strange when he was missing. Deidara, he's Kankuro's _gringo(5)_ amigo in a poncho eating nachos. By not knowing he was missing from his side, he'd be a piss poor friend. It sucked that they both thought he was that much of a space head.

However, neither of them were still offering any information that was explaining _why_ they left in the first place. Both stories, they said Gaara left first, but after that, everything went two different ways. The (secret) carrot top sighed. He supposed the only way he could get an answer from him willingly would be to be direct. "So Gaara... why'd you leave in the first place?"

"..."

Kankuro frowned and looked to Deidara. The blond shook his head. He didn't have a reason for Gaara's disappearance either.

"Well," the cat-hooded boy said. "If y'all can't tell me anything, we might as well come up with something for when we get home, huh?"

xoxo

"So, Mother Hen is rather disappointed in us, huh?", a voice asked.

Gaara looked over his shoulder at the blond, trying to remember why exactly he had opened the door for him. He didn't have to open the door for the asshole. Deidara only came over to his side of the hall because Kankuro was taking a shower and he was bored. What entertainment Deidara tried to seek from Gaara, he wasn't sure, but unfortunately, Deidara had the type of asshole charm that even convinced the redhead to let him inside his room. Gaara let out a exasperating sigh. "Whatever," he mumbled back.

"Do you not care about your sister's concern?", the voice questioned.

"Nope." Gaara truly didn't. Upon arriving home, she had three maimed boys standing before her. Deidara's ice pack was fully melted, but dripped moisture onto the floor from the thin mesh material. He was clearly wounded. Gaara's ripped sweater, scrapped hand, and bandaged forearm wasn't fooling anyone, and dear, sweet, _responsible_ elder brother Kankuro had a small burn on his neck from the Roman Candle skimming across it, a burnt hole in his new jeans, AND reeked of cheap booze. Deidara had to be the driver because Kankuro wouldn't let Gaara since he had little experience, but Deidara wasn't completely sober either. Temari was pissed. Truly and utterly pissed. After properly treating their stupidly gained wounds, she backhanded everyone's head for their idiocy and gave another lecture about how they could have gotten harmed and blah, blah. Gaara had begun to tune her out in the beginning of it all.

He heard a shuffling of sheets behind him and the creak in the metal frame. Gaara guessed that it was Deidara climbing into his bed and cocooning himself in his velvet sheets because they were so warm and comfortable. The blond always found Gaara's bed comfortable anyway. _And what do you know?_, he thought as his eyes landed on the lump under his blankets. _Just because I let you into my room doesn't mean you get permission to sleep in my bed_, he scolded the blond. His actual scolding though came out more like, "Get the fuck off."

Blond hair peeked out the top of the dark blue sheets with a little whine of, "No, your bed is comfy, okay?"

Gaara put his face into his hands. "Fucking Buddha."

"It's vulgar to use Buddha's name in vain!" was the answer to Gaara's frustration.

_The crime scene I'm going to leave of your body will be vulgar._

"So, Gaara..." Deidara started, reaching a hand out from the jumbled mess of blankets to grab a piece of candy from Gaara's bedside table. "I don't think we're done with our chat about Pearl Eyes."

Again? Deidara was bringing up _him_ again? Why? What is so fucking interesting about him? Gaara was getting sick of the mere mention of the brunet boy. He spent the last four, five days trying not to think of him and his awful words, usually ending in him feeling worse and worse by each night and Deidara's intrigue of the very subject that pained Gaara only swelled the hurt feeling. "Get the fuck out my room," He ordered the blond, knowing the blond would most likely not follow it. As expected, the blond stayed still. The only action from him was the chewing of a piece of Gaara's chocolate bar he stole and a little hum that Gaara interpreted as 'I don't care.' Gaara groaned, "Don't eat in bed."

"You do though," the blond told him.

Gaara shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Then why do you have candy on your table?"

"Drawers are full."

An unconvinced "Hmm..." came from Deidara. Of course, he wouldn't believe Gaara. He sat up in the bed and leaned over the side of the bed, reaching underneath. Another quirk of Deidara he disliked, he liked to go through people's things. 'Secret surfing,' he liked to call it. When the hands pulled out from under the cavern that was the underside of the bed, the blond had a plastic container of brown liquid with white foam at the top. He shook the case and asked, "This iced tea?" Gaara nodded. With this confirmation, Deidara opened it and took a big swig before closing it and putting it on the ground. He smacked his lips with a tiny bit of confusion on his face. "This tastes a little... off? Is this an offbrand, right?" He asked.

"It's alcoholic," Gaara explained. He swiped some of the ingredients from his father's bar and tried to make it as quickly as he could before his sister noticed that he slipped towards the door by the staircase. In his haste, some of the measurements were off, thus the not so nice taste. The point was that it was alcohol that he could store in his room without his siblings asking about.

Deidara wiped his mouth with his sleeve, sending a smirk toward the redhead. "So it's still iced tea, just from Long Island, right?"

"Basically," Gaara told him. He turned back to face the door, wondering when the hell Kankuro would be finished with his shower. Although Deidara wasn't doing anything specifically annoying or offensive, Gaara wasn't comfortable with Deidara rolling around his bed, especially when _he_ wanted to be sleeping in the bed right now. After the rather tiresome day they had, he actually wanted to rest, even if he wasn't going to get beautiful dreams that matched his starry sky of a ceiling. Plus his ass just hurt from sitting on the edge of the bed for the past twenty minutes.

_Fuck it_, he thought. _It's _my _bed. Why should I let him just wrap himself in my blankets without my permission? It's mine and I can sleep there if I want._ Gaara turned his head to see the blond leaned over the edge of the bed, taking another large drink of the poorly made iced tea. On the right of him was the untouched space that Gaara could easily slip into. He'd be able to wrap himself in whatever amount of sheets he could yank from Deidara's hold and put his weary eyes to sleep. His eyes felt heavier just imagining the treat. However, the longer he stared at the empty spot next to the tipsy blond, the warmer his face felt.

"Ginger," Deidara called out, waving a hand to get his attention. Gaara shot a glare instinctively at the nuisance. Deidara pointed towards his own face and circled around it, asking, "Your face, it's red."

_Nope, it isn't happening._ He turned back around and told him, "Fuck off. Get out."

"Noooo," was sing-sung by Deidara. "You're gonna have to maaaaake me!" Gaara immediately shuddered at the thought of whatever cheap methods Deidara would do to keep the redhead at bay from yanking him off the bed. He didn't play fair. "Buuuuut..." _'Buuuut'_, _that's the sound of something bad to come._ "Maybe I'll leave if you tell me what happened with Pearl Eyes, okay?"

Of course. It came right back to _him_ again. Why the fuck was he just interested in him for? Gaara crossed his arms and stared off at the wooden chair at his desk, answering in the briefest way he could, "He said shit, I got pissed, we stopped talking. Now leave."

"More."

"What?"

"There's more, so tell me."

_Determined drunk_, he inwardly growled. Gaara shook his head, but Deidara wasn't dropping it. The blond crawled out of the sheets and up by Gaara at the edge of the bed. He dropped his weight on the corner, tilting the redhead to the right for a brief second. A glazed blue eye looked up at him and said, "Seriously, you can talk to me. I won't judge if you cry, right?" How that sounded like a comforting statement to the blond, Gaara had no idea, but it wasn't convincing him to open up. "I'll even cover my good eye," he promised, lifting up his crossed fingers and swearing over his heart. He wore a goofy smile that would probably work on Kankuro trying to get information out of him. Gaara blankly stared down at him. He was unaffected by the stupid grin.

_But..._ Gaara reached for Deidara's face and covered his good eye. The blond hated when people covered his eye and expected him to move his hand. Instead, he laid there still, only squirming to get into a comfortable position. His head tilted towards Gaara's direction and waited for what Gaara was going to do. With his other hand, he pushed the bangs out of the way, revealing the shiny glass orb in his eye socket. The pale blue eye looked straight forward at him although it lacked any intensity of any sort. It was a flat stare like the eyes of a painting looking at you.

It brought him back to when they were children, back when Deidara's bad eye was the biggest problem in his life. He had a bad eye to begin with, developing a cataract around the age of five after getting hit in the eye by a baseball bat in school. It became a hassel to not see well and deal with the oversensitivity of the eye and he started wearing an eyepatch, at least until he was old enough to get the surgery to lessen the cataract. His mother kept holding the surgery back though. She didn't want to take the risk of her son losing even more vision or having to lose an eye in general, so Deidara stuck it out until he was thirteen, wearing an eyepatch or covering his bad eye with bangs. In the end, it didn't matter because as a reckless teenage boy with stupid friends (Kankuro and his friends), the eye would be removed after a knife accident. Kankuro never explained fully what occurred and Deidara never spoke about it, but now there was the product of their idiocy, a glass eye that would most likely stay there for the rest of his life. A sad reminder of what could have been a proper working eye, lost to boys with no common sense.

Deidara was sore about the subject, but Gaara admitted to himself time after time, his eye was maybe the only interesting quality he found in Deidara. It was something that Gaara could stare at for a long time without any judgement because... well, it wasn't like Deidara could see out the eye anyway.

"Are you crying or just staring?" Deidara interrupted.

Gaara sighed, "Neither."

He felt the good eye move under his palm, trying to look up in the direction of Gaara's voice. "If you don't want to talk to me, maybe you can talk to another blond, right?" He suggested.

xoxo

Deidara couldn't see it, but he could feel it. He felt the hand over his good eye trembling. In fear? A chance. In anger? Most likely, but he meant it. Whether or not Gaara chose to believe him, it was pretty obvi. that the Ginger was hurting. His weirdness was about 50% increased. The fact alone that he allowed him into his room had to prove something. Gaara hated his company for the stupid reason he believed and he still let the blond walk in and curl up in his bed. If he was in the right mind, the redhead would have pounced and thrown him off or even hold a sharp object to his head as a threat. Pearl Eyes was bugging him more than he wanted to let on and with Gaara distracted by the idea of another certain blond or whatever else went through that head of his, Deidara could potentially find a way to make their relationship a little less violent and a little more nice.

Now only if Gaara could stop staring at his fake eye...

xoxo

Kankuro took Deidara away about three hours ago. Gaara's been laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling for two. His gray cellphone rested in his palm for an hour. A number was typed on the screen for thirty minutes. And for the past thirty minutes, he'd been working up the will to either hang up the phone or go through with it.

His thumb did the work for him. It rang and rang and rang and then, "Gaara?"

xoxo

_Troublesome,_ Shikamaru thought, trying to remain as quiet as possible as he sneaked down the staircase of his girlfriend's house. It would be beyond trouble if her father found him at this hour of the night. Really, it wasn't a smart thing to be doing, but he was a sucker for her long, batting eyelashes. _She's too pretty to be pulling this shit on me,_ he complained, taking careful steps down. _If her father comes from the corner, I'd be done._

An extremely loud ringtone went off, scaring the absolute piss out of him. He grabbed onto the handle of the staircase and tried to fish for his phone, but slipped through his sweaty fingers. "Fuck this," he whispered, making a run down the stairs and out the door as fast as he could. The hell to be sneaky if your phone wakes up the entire house.

He shut the door behind him and ran down the porch before he realized that he couldn't leave through the front thanks to motion sensor lights. He silently cursed at his girlfriend's father's security precautions and fished the phone out of his pocket. He pressed whatever buttons to shut it off and thanked his lucky stars that the front door hadn't done its automatic lock procedure. He slipped back in and went through the side door of the house, dashing through their yard until he was far off enough to actually answer his phone.

Shikamaru collapsed onto the ground, sweat pouring down his face from something other than sex, and dug into his pocket for the phone. He turned it on and saw his missed call icon. He rolled his eyes at the collar ID and pressed the call button, waiting for the idiot to pick up.

A little voice answered 'hello.' "What the hell do you want at four in the morning?" He asked. He really wasn't in the mood to be polite after what could have resulted in his murder.

The little voice explained the reason. Shikamaru sat up in surprise, looking off at the house he ran away from. "He did?" He asked.

The little voice started rambling about things that weren't exactly relevent to the tale, but ended up saying 'bye' and hanging up before Shikamaru could even say anything else.

"Wow," he whispered into the night air. "Can't believe you talked to him, Gaara."

* * *

><p>(1) <strong>Kigurumi<strong>: Those cute fleece, one piece costumes that often come in cartoon, video game, and anime characters.

(2) **Noh mask**: Japanese masks with bare features that don't outright look like a certain expression, rather relying on the physical movements of the person wearing it to show happiness, anger, or sorrow.

(3) **Chang'ao**: A Chinese garment that looks similar to a Japanese kimono in the front, but are vastly different in construction.

(4) **Roman candles**: Those fireworks that shoot off balls of flame from a can.

(5) _Gringo_: A Spanish term for 'foreigners' or anyone not well versed in Spanish culture.

**A/N:** I hate this chapter so much. I really don't like the ending (as usual), but man, I can't deal with it right now. My inspiration is starting to run flat, but I _really_ don't want to stop this story. I have too many unfinished projects right now and I do love this story, I mean it's my child. I've put over 80,000 words into this already, I can't drop it. I think the only thing pushing me on right now is future scenes I have planned that I want other people to read. I apologize if the chapters are not up to par to like, past chapters. I feel like I'm not writing characters out nicely anymore. Or maybe it's just this and last chapter since I'm forcing out information a little too strongly. I don't know.

Anyway, as I said before, since inspiration is dwindling, I need time to write and figure shit out. Next **update** is somewhere between February and April.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are nice.


	11. Tempest

**A/N**: New chapter. I got hit with a blast of inspiration. The band **Deftones** (I use their song titles and **Beach House**'s songs as chapter names) had a new album come out November of last year and music tends to influence the way I write. New music means new material basically. This chapter came out a different than I originally planned too, but will ultimately end in the way I _did_ plan.

Note: There's going to be **A LOT** of goddamn flip flopping between present day and flashbacks, but it explains a good majority of questions and information from the previous chapter(s), so bare with it. _Full italic passages_ are the flashbacks. To also help create a somewhat flow of a timeline, present day Gaara and Neji is on a **Monday**. Neji's _flashbacks_ are on **Friday**. Gaara's _flashbacks_ (after the first one) are **Saturday**. Sunday is unaccounted for.

If the_italic_ _flashbacks _are hard to read, let me know so I can set up the flashbacks differently.

* * *

><p><span>Tempest<span>

The view of Hanabi between Neji's sleep swollen eyelids was fuzzy like an unfocused camera. He tried to adjust the lens, but it wouldn't let him. Sleep was fighting back. It was trying to pull him back to the uncomfortable mattress and flat pillow. As awful as that sounded, sleep made it sound like a goddamn plush, king-sized bed with fluffy pillows that had a heater built in. He saw Hanabi's hand run in front of his face, however, the focus was still off. His heavy eyes paired up with the sleep devil on his shoulder were really working against him.

"Neji! Don't fall asleep," her small voice ordered him. A little hand rested on his cheek, rubbing his face kindly. It wasn't helping his urge to fall back to sleep. The smack across the face she delivered though _did_.

Neji's face whipped to the side, waking him up instantly. "Fuu-!" He bit his tongue before he was able to get the full word out. No need for Hanabi to hear those sorts of words more than she already did.

He wearily looked up to Hanabi who stood over him, hands on her hips like their mother used to do. Even her pre-pubescent face squinted into the mad face mother used, although Hanabi was trying not to break into giggles. She wagged a finger over Neji and stifled a faux-angry exclamation, "You shouldn't be sleeping in! School is important! Get up and get ready!"

_Just like mom._ Hanabi broke down immediately afterward, letting out a raccous laugh he was sure Hinata could hear from the kitchen. Neji shook his head and pinched her leg, getting a loud squeal from her. He tiredly smiled, mumbling, "You're too loud, Hanabi." He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "Too early for the energy..."

"Well, so_rry_ if I want you to get changed and eat already," Hanabi replied with plenty of attitude. Neji was slightly taken aback from the sudden change of tone, however, it was expected when she started watching all these new dramatic reality shows. The low-class women on them behaved like some of the very rude people they lived by back in Konoha City. In fifth grade, she was still plenty impressionable. She popped a hip to the side like she was ready to hit Neji again and with less sass, said, "I want you to walk me to the bus stop. You haven't seen me off at all."

Neji shook his head, pulling the blankets off of him. "My bus leaves first, Hanabi," he explained to her. He tapped her calves with the back of his hand, trying to get her out of his way. She stepped to the side and watched him stand up, continuing to stretch parts of his body.

"Hinata walks to school," Hanabi tried to argue. She walked around Neji pinched his thigh this time. He didn't squeal, but jumped at the pained nerves. "Besides, you can think of it as exercise. You do have fat thighs," she bluntly stated.

"..." Neji wasn't even sure if he wanted to dignify that statement with an answer. He was actually on the thin side, but compared to little, well-fed (well, _better-fed_) Hanabi, his bone structure made him bigger than her. Fat. It was a bittersweet joke that she would not get until she was older. Neji shook his head again and stepped toward his closet, opening the door and pulling out a random shirt. "Hanabi, Hinata _likes_ to walk. I don't," he tried to excuse himself. As much as he loved his little sister, he really did not like walking all that much.

Hanabi was stubborn though. More so than him. Hands rested on her hips again, only less civil than what their mother used to do and more like she was ready to pull a knife on Neji. "_Listen,_" she abruptly spoke up, somehow adopting a thick Spanish accent. "I want 'chu to walk me to the bus stop, a'ight?"

Neji was uncomfortable. Just... what was Hinata allowing this girl to watch when he wasn't home?

"Uhm, Hanabi?"

The mean look on her face disappeared, settling into an innocent smile. "Yes?"

"What tv shows do you watch when I'm not around?" He dared ask.

"Cartoons on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. Sometimes _Bad Girls Club_ when Hinata is doing her homework."

The brunet ran his hand through his hair, trying his best not to groan in frustration. He wouldn't be surprised if he walked into the house and Hanabi managed to poorly curl her hair and wear 'Bugles'(1) on her fingers, pretending to give attitude to everyone in the house. She needed more supervision with the television or just more supervision in general.

He threw the shirt onto his shoulder and put his hands on her shoulders, giving into her request. "I'll walk you to the bus stop, okay?"

Her eyes lit up wide and bright. "Seriously!?" Neji nodded and found his waist being squished by tiny little arms. "Thank you so much, big bro!"

Neji returned the hug, knowing that a goofy smile was taking residence on his own face. Hanabi was just too precious to deny, even with her developing attitude. He rolled his eyes, thinking, _If she's going to play pretend like this now, I'd hate to know how she'll be acting at thirteen._

Hanabi pulled from the hug and said, "Get changed, I'm going to get food!" She turned for the door to be stopped by Neji's question.

"Hanabi?"

The little girl pouted and answered, "Yeees?"

"Let me know next time you're watching that 'Bad Girls' show, okay?"

"...Oh, alright," she sighed and shut the the door behind her.

Neji listened to her footsteps down the hall, whispering to himself, "She's not going to tell me shit."

x - o

"How's your hand doing, Neji?" Hinata asked. She lifted up his hand and brushed her thumb over the fresh bandages.

Neji withdrew his hand from her, a little insecure about it still. It was one of the worst self-inflicted wounds he's had and all for the paranoia of his father potentially killing his family. It was understandable in the moment, but fuck, the aftermath of it was just embarrassing. Just taking a look at the door he messed up reminded him of how stupid he could be for a smart kid. Instincts kicked into play and they kicked hard. "It's alright," he told her. It was a lie. "The new skin is just sort of scratchy, you know?" Another lie. It didn't itch at all, it was just hideous to look at. His knuckles were jaggedly split thanks to the splinters. They stung whenever he put his hands into a fist and took awhile to stop bleeding.

Hinata smiled and nodded her head. "That's good," she said, looking back forward on their walk.

Even before their father's turnaround, Hinata was not a chatterbox. She was quiet and often saved her words for important reasons. She liked to read and write stories about fantasy lands with dragons, princesses, and witches. When she had the energy to speak up, it was about her books and explaining their origins. Her pale eyes lit up with intensity the way she spoke about them. It was exciting when Hinata got into those moments. Then there was a punch that shut her up for good. Her imagination was restrained. Her books were sold and her stories were used for kindling when they spent a few days living in their car prior to downgrading to their two room apartment. The fire in her eyes simmered into smoke.

She used to be called shy. She was shy now too, but inbetween the young, healthy Hinata and the current introvert Hinata was the obedient, paranoid Hinata. Much like Neji, she too feared others after the sudden change in their father's behavior. Unlike Neji, she followed their father's rules with complete servitude. She was afraid of others to the point that she lashed when they got too close. It was like taking a bear out of the wilderness and plopping them into the city. Everything was unknown, frightening. Like the Salem witch trials, it was 'burn that which you do not understand.'

Neji could agree that she has made a great recovery from her former self, but moving to Sunaville seemed to be the best thing for her. For everyone really. Their mother was attempting to revive the grass in the backyard so she could plant a little garden, something she wanted for so long, but couldn't due to the lack of sunlight through their old windows. Hanabi was able to go outside to a park or their yard and could play her heart out without worrying about a kidnapper or pedophile around the corner. Even their father, who disliked being outside, managed to set up a hammock to lie down in. He had to have liked the fresh air enough to do that.

But it was Hinata who seemed to like the town the best. She walked to school every single day, even in the bad weather. She liked being able to see trees, homes, friendly people on bike. She never walked in back in the city. You could get jumped if you're not cautious enough. Easily pick-pocketed or just held up by a druggie with a knife. Maybe those things only happened because they lived in a bad neighborhood, but it was still great to see Hinata on her own with no fears. She took walks around the town on her own too, something that usually scared Neji, however, he didn't have much to fear. The worst thing to happen in this town was something accidental, so why not? That spark of life in her eyes was coming back, slow, but surely.

If it was the city life that closed them in so severely, why hadn't they moved to a town earlier?

"Neji?" A quiet voice asked. Neji blinked, realizing he'd been off thinking a little too long. He glanced to his blue-haired sister, who just smiled and asked, "Are you okay?"

The brunet returned the smile. "Yeah, I'm alright." And that was the truth.

xoxo

_"Hello?"_

_"...hi."_

_"Uhm... Gaara?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Y-you... actually call-. No, wait. This is a prank, right? Kankuro, you dip, don't do this shit! Does Gaara even know you have his phone?"_

_"It's not."_

_"Not what?"_

_"Not Kankuro."_

_"Oh... OH! Oh, my gosh, I'm sorry. It's just, like, you never... uhm... I'm just really happy, haha. I mean, I thought you'd never-"_

_"Shut up."_

_"...okay?"_

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"...Did you need something?"_

_"Yes..."_

_"So...?"_

_"Tomorrow, after school. Meet me in the forest."_

_"The forest? That's pretty vag-. Wait! You want to hang out with me!? Gaara-!"_

_"Not hanging. Talking."_

_"Still! I can't wai-!"_

Click_. He talked too much._

xoxo

Sitting in the porcelain bowl was the undigested remains of what was silver dollar pancakes with a side of jelly toast. Sitting in front of said porcelain bowl was the nauseous brunet who had probably exceeded his teacher's preferred time limit of a bathroom break. This wouldn't have happened if the kid leaving the bathroom hadn't shoulder him so hard in the first place. The inertia of the shoulder bump almost spun him around. Then his whole world spun around. His feet were solid in one place, he was sure of it, but the bathroom door in front of him slowly began to shift to the left. As the lockers agonizingly blurred into his view, his stomach hitched and felt bile rise up in his throat. Neji suddenly had two reasons to run to the toliet.

The brunet wiped his mouth with a piece of toliet paper and looked down at the rancid mess in the water. He managed to puke three times and retched a couple several times at the sheer smell. It wasn't even second period. He hadn't even had a chance to pee yet.

Why did everything have to move? The Earth rotates, the moon orbits. Why couldn't everything just stay still? Why couldn't Neji stay still? He spat leftover substance into the toliet and took a peek into the bowl. The liquids slightly moved also. Neji turned his head and sighed. There was nothing more he wanted now than his ceiling. His center.

x - o

This day was going to shit fast. Neji returned back to class to get a pink slip for 'skipping.' He made his way down to the office to get scolded by the principal who let him off anyway. He got pulled to the side by another teacher on the way back to class who thought he was skipping. The teacher personally brought him down to the office where the principal let him off _again_. By the time Neji got back to class, the bell had rung. He had to wait for everyone to leave to get his stuff, was scolded by the teacher, and got shuffled off to his next period class. If there was anything he ever missed about his old school, it would be the fact that they did not give two craps about the whereabouts of a student. These teachers were much to diligent too Neji's liking.

Come English class, lo and behold, there's an empty seat left of Neji. He wasn't sure why he still even cared about Gaara's prescence. It was evident that Gaara was not going to give him the light of day after what he said. Kankuro made it clear that he hurt him, but it had been six, seven days already. He spent a weekend feeling guilty and still got shot down whenever he tried to speak to him. Wouldn't this be the normal person sign that he should let go?

No. He was invested. Gaara had been the first person to speak to him. He opened up to Neji, which was surprising looking back on first time meeting. He shared things he thought was cool with the brunet. Yes, the redhead treated him like shit, but he _had_ to like him in some way to involve Neji into almost getting smashed with a pumpkin or dragging him out to center town for a water fountain. And Gaara, he just has too much intrigue to give up on. What made him like this? What was his past? Invested, whether or not Neji liked it.

Empty seat. This wasn't going to help at all.

x - o

Neji found himself having deja vu. At his table, there was a scruffy brunet boy, a chubby boy, a smug pale boy, and a ponytailed boy, talking and laughing, chomping on sandwiches and chips. The scruffy one threw a bunch of french fries at the ponytailed one who flipped him off and chucked some salad back. The pale boy shook his head at this immaturity before the plump boy shot a Hershey kiss at his cheek. A very brief, miniature food fight. It stopped as soon as an open milk carton was almost tossed. Of course, the scruffy kid who would take it a little too far. They began to laugh about it, so Neji did too.

Sometime over the weekend, it had seemed Sasuke and Shikamaru made up. Maybe their friendship wasn't as one-sided as Shikamaru thought it was if they were getting along again. It was evident they were okay with one another when Neji walked into the cafeteria and spotted Shikamaru at their old table. He was talking to Sasuke by himself, laughing about something. Maybe an inside joke? They both stopped talking when Neji walked up to them. They nodded at him and continued their conversation. Neji took this as the sign that everything was cool. When he returned to the table, Kiba and Choji were in their places, munching down on their lunch. At least this time around, the guys were involving Neji in their conversation rather than just letting him be the audience. It got boring real fast when he just had to listen.

"Ever had a girlfriend?" was first questions out the gate. _Talking about girls, the most stereotypical topic to start with. What next? Sports?_, Neji thought, but hey, it was a start. The guys all leaned forward to get a look at Neji as he replied. No pressure at all.

Neji put his hand under his chin as casually as he could, leaned on the table, and answered, "Nope."

"Ever had a boyfriend then?" Sasuke threw in with a smirk. _A jab at my sexuality? Ooh, original._

The brunet rolled his eyes, but informed him, "No, no boyfriend."

Kiba scratched his face with the plastic fork Choji threw at him earlier with a confused look. "Wait, so you've never dated anyone ever?"

Neji shook his head.

"No one at all?" Choji asked.

"Nope." _Unless you count being indirectly threatened into having sex a relationship. I'd call that 'blackmail.'_

"So you never had sex?" Kiba asked. Sasuke, Choji, and Shikamaru all shot Kiba a weird stare, much like when Neji said Gaara's name out loud before. Kiba noticed the eyes were on him and blushed, explaining, "Shut up! I'm asking a question, he doesn't have to say nothing!" Even with that, the eyes fell back onto Neji for his reply.

Neji sighed with a smile. He rolled the end of a piece of his hair, saying, "Oh no, I've had sex."

Besides his little ordeal with his best friend, Akago, he had sex with other people. Three casual hookups, but that was it. He wasn't into gaining numbers like Akago and his friends. He did what he did to get his hormones out of the way. Mutual friends with a mutual need to get down and dirty. When Kiba asked for details, Neji had to deny him. He didn't like to disclose that sort of information. He never told Akago about his hookups, mainly because two of them were girls and one of them was Akago's ex. He would have blown his stack if he knew Neji had sex with her. A new town didn't mean he'd reveal those sorts of things to his new friends(?).

"So, we just have to take your word for it, huh?" Sasuke asked, leaning back in his chair.

The brunet nodded. "Yep."

The black haired boy shrugged his shoulders and sighed, "Guess you did the deed then. Good for you."

Shikamaru smirked and nudged Neji in the arm. "Look at that," he started, putting down his sandwich. "He complimented you. Treasure it, it's a rare artifact next to using his manners."

Sasuke glared at the ponytailed boy and sat up properly to snap, "Shut the fuck up, Shikamaru."

Kiba and Choji were already in hysterics. Shikamaru turned back to Neji and pointed his thumb at the pissed off boy across him. "See? Nonexistant manners."

For once, Neji was able to join in with the laughter. Sasuke even chuckled along with the guys before telling everyone to shut up about it. So, maybe this group wasn't so bad after all. He could do without Gaara... right?

x - o

_The demand given to Neji was, "Get in the car."_

_His reply to the demand was, "No."_

_There was an exasperated sigh from the other side of the car as he mumbled, "Come on."_

_Neji let out a sigh of his own, not really in the mood for this, "I really don't want to."_

_"I'm not going to kill you, I've had my license since I was sixteen."_

_"Still..."_

_"Still nothing. Get your cowardly ass in there."_

Coward... how familiar? _Neji thought to himself, rolling his eyes. Regardless, he finally hopped into Shikamaru's blue car. _

_It was after school on Friday. Shikamaru had popped out of a nearby classroom at the final bell and spotted Neji coming out of his class. The ponytailed boy threw an arm around him and told him to come meet him out in the parking lot. When Neji asked why, Shikamaru replied, 'What reason could there be to invite someone to a parking lot?' Neji had numerous violent and illegal reasons he could come up with, but kept it to himself. He just agreed to meet him, although he was sure he didn't want to go out for a ride._

_Neji came out and saw Shikamaru leaning up against a junker car, fiddling around with his cellphone. Although they went through their little spiel of trying to get Neji into the car, it wasn't Shikamaru's driving skills that offput him, it was the car itself. It was a hooptie(2) in every definition. Missing hubcaps, the passenger mirror was duct taped on along with the left rear light, each door was its own shade of blue, and the entire hood was rusted up. His point was further proven when Shikamaru opened the back seat door and climbed up to the driver's seat._

_Neji had only seen hoopties from the outside, but the inside was just as bad as the outside. The temperature dial was missing, the rear view mirror was also taped in place, and a peak back in the backseat was traumatizing. It was just full of fast food bags and books with the exposed seat cushions only partially covered by a single blanket. There wasn't too much hope left in Neji when Shikamaru told Neji to lock his door. After Neji did that, he handed him a bungee cord and instructed him hook it up to the door handle and the underside of the dash or underneath his seat. When Neji asked why, Shikamaru informed him that the door swung open sometimes._

_"I don't want to lose you to traffic," Shikamaru tried to joke. He nudged the boy in the side in jest. As Neji moved away, he jostled the door and it swung out, almost hitting the scooter parked next to them. Neji turned to look at Shikamaru and the boy sheepishly smiled. "Whoops."_

_Neji was out._

xoxo

Gaara glared at the photographs he'd picked up from Deidara almost six or seven days ago. Not only had the rain wrinkled them, but Deidara managed to overexpose them all. He was pissed. He threw them down on his floor and tightened his fists, wishing Blondie was before him so he could knock his teeth out.

Deidara said he wanted to be okay with Gaara, but this was not helping his case out in the least. For someone who supposedly _didn't_ hate Gaara, he sure had a vendetta on making him suffer with lousy photo development jobs. His last set were underexposed and now this bullshit? Deidara wouldn't have to be a factor in his photography hobby if he was able to go to the actual photo development place in town. He couldn't though. Gaara's little rivalry with that redneck bastard, Asuma, extended to the photo place.

Asuma a couple years back married a woman by the name of Kurenai. Beautiful woman with long black, wavy hair and red eyes that could slay any man who dared look into them. Unfortunately, she was her own brand of psychotic bitch, going hand in hand with her crazy husband. She was in charge of the photo place where Gaara used to get his photos done. Occasionally, she sent evil glares in his direction after the previous night of shenanigans Gaara caused on Asuma's farm, but he would still get perfect photos. After the particular hog-tying incident (which is still embarrassing to even acknowledge), she refused him service. Kurenai spouted off a long sentence full of explectives and insults, ultimately ending with almost tossing a jar of photo development chemicals in Gaara's direction. Although the two recently divorced, the redhead decided that it would be best to avoid the photo hut altogether. He would prefer to get hog-tied than have his fleshed burned off.

The only other place in town to get his photos done was the general store that Deidara worked at and ever since, the photographs Gaara received had worse and worse treatment. After their talk about getting Gaara to not hate him, he supposed Deidara would attempt to get him better photographs, but he wouldn't know until the next time he bought film for his camera. Until then, he would have to figure out what to do with the dark looking, wrinkled pictures of birds, flowers from other people's gardens, and various random snap shots of the Majestic Forest.

xoxo

_Neji was in. How Shikamaru convinced him to stay in the death trap that the boy lovingly called 'Sonya,' he had no idea. All he knew was that he was clutching at the sides of his seat a little more than he probably should have been for a thirty mile per hour coast. After watching the door fling open by a tiny push, he wasn't risking it._

_The piece of shit car proved itself more in its inability to function in its superficial ways. The radio did not work anymore. There was a cassette tape of a 90s Mariah Carey album lodged in the tape player that could not be pulled out or pushed in (which Shikamaru swore wasn't his). The clock on the dashboard was burnt out, only flickering on when Shikamaru hit it hard enough. Neji wouldn't be surprised if Shikamaru let go of the wheel and the car turned on its own._

_"Wouldn't it just be easier to get a working used car?" Neji felt like he had to ask._

_Shikamaru shrugged and pulled into the roundabout that circled the water fountain. "Probably, but I couldn't do it."_

_Neji leaned in towards Shikamaru to prevent himself from touching the door. "Why not?"_

_"My dad gave me this thing," he answered, fiddling with his turn signal. Neji watched as he kept flicking it on and off._

That's great. Even his turn signals are jacked. I am going to die today for sure.

_The car slowed and made a turn out of the circle. Neji asked, "Why would he give you a junker like this?"_

_"Because he doesn't have much to give," Shikamaru replied immediately. It almost sounded defensive to Neji's surprise. He never heard that tone from Shikamaru before. The car slowed down again at a stop sign, giving the ponytailed boy a chance to turn to Neji and apologize. "Sorry... if that sounded bad." His eyes looked back to the street and to Neji. "My dad just... he tries his best."_

_When Shikamaru didn't add anything else to his statement, Neji dropped the subject and listened to the wheels against the road as they pulled out from the stop. If there was anything Neji needed at that moment..._ Why can't you get a new radio at least?

xoxo

Gaara kept getting stupid texts from some stupid blond that he stupidly decided to meet three days ago. He managed to get out of a family brunch to talk and now he regretted it. Slightly. He regretted the part that somehow convinced the blond that it'd be alright to include him in his mass texts of idiocy. Once was enough. Three in a goddamn hour? Was there really that much drama happening in their school for that? _Whatever_.

x - o

_Usually when Gaara walked around the forest, he had something to distract him. The beautiful leaves, a perfectly rounded bush, maybe a tree stump that had a solid mass of moss growing on it. It was in his nature to observe and appreciate, but his head wasn't in the moment to do that. His walk into the forest was slower than usual. His feet weren't on auto-pilot. He was fully controlling them and it was his brain telling him to turn back this time._

Should I?_, he'd ask himself, yet this question did nothing to change course. His little feet felt heavier with every step. It was like trudging through heavy mud. Gaara couldn't turn back. He had just survived an almost encounter with Asuma and threw himself behind several heads of cabbage to avoid being seen. He army crawled his way near the edge of the forest before leaping up and charging into it with the hopes that the sound of crunching leaves would not get Asuma's attention. Luckily, it hadn't and the man continued to smoke and water the crops._

_Gaara tried to get himself focused on what he needed to do. He had asked a favor of someone he would prefer to remain distant from and the consequences of his actions were just starting to brew in his skull. Would the blond continue to persue Gaara? Maybe he'd back off about making his point to the blond? _Doubt it,_ he thought. _He lacks the common sense to realize when one did not want to speak to another. _The main reason that slowed Gaara to a snail's pace was about the past. Taking his time to speak to the blond meant a longer time to reflect on memories he wished to keep locked away. One-Eyed Blondie triggered him before and Gaara did not want a repeat of it. _

Keep it brief, _he reminded himself._ Don't speak any longer than you have to.

_"Gaara!" A voice shouted for him._

_The redhead looked up from his feet to see he had made it to the Majestic Forest. His feet were on auto-pilot after all. Of course, now he had to find the moron somewhere in the treetops..._

xoxo

"So, Neji," Kiba started, balling up his food wrapper. He tossed it onto Shikamaru's tray and looked back to Neji. "I know it's a weekday or whatever, but the guys here are gonna crash at my place tonight for video games and shit. You in?"

"Wait," Neji said. "You're inviting me to hang with you guys?"

Kiba slowly nodded. "Yeaaah. I mean, you've been sitting with us for awhile now."

"Unless you don't want to hang?" Sasuke piped in, looking at his nails like a girl would. He looked up from them and shrugged in Neji's direction. "We're offering. Take it or leave it."

Neji scratched his head in thought. He hadn't expected them to invite him to hang out. He didn't even think they liked him all that much. He said weird stuff and gave the particularly gross food to Kiba, otherwise, he hadn't proven any sort of coolness to him. But, who was he to turn down an invite like this? It was night away from the bullshit in his house. _A night away_...

"It sounds cool," Neji told Kiba. "But, I'll have to ask first. My parents are sort of strict about me going out," he lied, rubbing his bandaged hand with his thumb. His parents weren't strict in the least. Mother barely paid attention to him anymore and focused on the youngest, but it was his father who would somewhat care about Neji when he was drunk enough. The situation that caused him his bloodied knuckles was the result of not being in school when he should have been. On the other hand, he was also out quite a bit with Akago back in the city and his dad never gave two shits. He was too busy getting shit-faced in the bar around the corner. _Whatever, I need a break, even if it was just one._

Kiba grinned, showing off some of his sharp teeth. "Awesome. If you need a ride, I'm sure Shikamaru wou-"

Neji cut him off immediately, "Hell no am I riding in that suicide box again."

"You took a ride with Shikamaru before?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, Friday to show him around town a bit," Shikamaru answered for Neji, flicking the food wrapper ball back at Kiba. It bounced off his face and in the direction of a teacher watching nearby. Choji let out a laugh way too loud to be necessary, catching the teacher's attention.

Kiba punched Choji in the shoulder and yelled, "What the fuck, man?!"

Nobody had a chance to laugh before a dark shadow hovered over Kiba. The scruffy boy's shoulders shot up to his ears. Caught. A voice asked, "What the _what_ again, Mr. Inuzuka?"

Instead of answering the question properly, Kiba dropped his shoulders and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh man, I thought I was in trouble for a moment," he said, smiling pulling across his face again.

Shikamaru shook his head and sighed, "He's still a teacher, you know?"

Neji looked up at the teacher who appeared way too casual for his profession. He had white hair that was spiked higher than any other kid he'd seen in school. The man wore a pair of dark colored jeans and a haphazardly tucked in white polo shirt. The only things that read professional was the green tie and teacher's ID around his neck. From behind the white mask covering his nose and mouth, he muffled the words, "Mr. Nara's right." The man tucked his hands into his jean pockets and said, "I could easily ticket you for foul language if I wanted to."

Kiba leaned back and looked up at the tall teacher with puppy eyes. "But, Kakashiiii-"

"Mr. Hatake," The teacher corrected him.

"-you love me," he finished, leading to the teacher to bury his face in his hands. _Kiba says the weirdest things._

Choji chuckled, saying, "I think you broke Mr. Hatake."

Kiba shook his head. "He was broke from the start. I mean, lets start with the mask."

Mr. Kakashi Hatake ran his hand through his hair and asked, "You got a problem with the mask?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, I mean, you can't honestly have allergies _that_ often."

The white-haired teacher smiled (well, Neji guessed it was a smile from the way his eyes crinkled) and said, "Yes, I can."

"Since freshman year!?" Kiba shouted.

Mr. Hatake pointed at his nose and excused himself, "Sensitive nostrils, but we're not talking about me, we're talking about you and your foul language." He pulled at the shoulder of Kiba's jacket and said, "So, lets go, kid."

Kiba almost snapped his neck doing a double take at the elder man. "Are you serious, Kakas-?"

"Mr. Hatake," the teacher corrected again. "And yes. Gotta face consequences at some point." He gestured for Kiba to stand and follow, which the scruffy boy reluctantly did. All the boys at the table started to laugh to themselves as Kiba slunk away with Mr. Hatake out the cafeteria doors. Mainly because Kiba looked back and saw Sasuke laughing out loud and flipped him off.

"You know," Sasuke said, looking once more back at the doors. "Tonight may not work out now. Kiba's so dead if he gets written up."

"Hope for the best?" Neji asked.

Shikamaru disagreed. "Naw. Let the brat suffer. He oughta know better anyway."

x - o

_Neji twirled his chopsticks around the strands of ramen and pulled them up, slurping them quite loudly. Shikamaru might have given him a weird look, but he was too focused on the meal before him to care. It had been ages since he'd been to a ramen shop. It had been even longer since he was able to order an extra large bowl of tonkotsu(3) ramen with a side of unagi(4). _

_Typically Neji felt bad about agreeing to others paying for him to do anything. He used to combat Akago all the time whenever the boy tried to buy him tokens for the video game arcade. Neji was a pushover however when it came to his stomach. His underfed body did the talking for him. At the mere mention of 'food,' Neji's stomach agreed to the suggestion with a strong grumble. Shikamaru smirked and just said, 'Ramen, it is.'_

_Shikamaru pulled into the parking lot of a place called '_Ramen Ichiraku_.' It was a rickety, wooden building from the outside, proven by the piece of wood that fell into the dumpster around the side. Had Neji not taken the ride in the rust bucket 'Sonya,' he would be appalled by the conditions. Upon entering, the place appeared a whole lot nicer inside. Along the far wall to the left was the typical ramen bar with wooden stools and stacks of sauce for the customers to put in their soups. The menu took up a majority of the wall behind the bar, partially written in Japanese with the romanized translation beside it for easy ordering. The other tables were tight booths with paper walls between each one for privacy. A brunette woman by the name of Ayame bowed and took them a normal two-seated table by the window. The window provided a great view of Neji's door swinging open, making Shikamaru have to go out and fix it before they were able to order._

_The ponytailed boy raised his bowl of spicy shoyu(5) to his mouth, drinking down the broth. Neji shivered at the thought of consuming that demon of a soup. He couldn't believe how Shikamaru liked his ramen. He poured three spoonfuls of hot sauce into the thing after getting it just to get to his preferred level of hot._

_"You're not into spice, huh?" Shikamaru asked, lowering the bowl back down. He picked up his chopsticks and picked up a piece of meat from the soup._

_Neji shook his head. "Not at all. Allergic to spices," he admitted._

_"Eh," the other boy said. He shrugged and grabbed a bunch of noodles from the bowl. "May not want to eat any local cuisine then. We're heavy with the spices."_

_"Don't even tell me about them," Neji said. He smiled and picked up a piece of pork, saying, "My brain might burn up just imagining it." He slipped the piece in his mouth and chewed, enjoying the burst of flavor that filled his mouth. He was beyond happy to be eating such good quality food. If the ramen itself was this good, he couldn't wait to dive into the unagi. He hadn't had fried eel since he was a kid at his grandparents'._

_"I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!" A voice screeched. Neji had almost dropped his chopsticks from sheer volume. The place wasn't large enough to excuse that sort of yelling. No one else seemed to be surprised. Other customers continued to eat without any concern, meaning this had to be a daily occurance. Shikamaru merely rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Moron."_

_The blond boy he'd seen on the bus and in school with the pink-haired girl came bursting through a set of doors from the kitchen, holding a tray in each hand with two bowls of ramen each. The boy just barely dodged the tables he moved around at the speed he walked, practically pirohuetting around a couple who were getting up from their table. He returned back to walking like normal and served a nearby table, giving them possibly the brightest smile Neji ever seen. The boy took the empty plates and put them on his trays, turning around back to the kitchen. The way he turned caught Neji and Shikamaru right in his sight of view. His glance lingered on the pale-eyed boy who turned away. _This kid is everywhere.

_He sighed and picked up a piece of the unagi to bite into. Then he heard, "Howya doin', Shika?"_

_Neji looked up to see the blond up close for once. His blond hair was even brighter than he anticipated, spiked up and tied with a headband for sanitary issues he guessed. He looked more like he belonged on the beach than in a town. His tanned skin made him stick out like a sore thumb in the restaurant. And his eyes were this deep, dark blue that bulged in excitement. He wore a work uniform of dark pants, light t-shirt, and a white apron, but managed to pull it off well._

_"Don't call me that, but fine, I suppose," Shikamaru answered, interrupting Neji's observation. Neji looked back down to his treat, deciding it'd be better to focus on the food before him. "Better than you since I'm not working."_

_"Hey, I have money. Do you?" The blond joked, tapping Shikamaru's elbow. Neji felt eyes fall in his direction. "So, uh... you made friends with the new kid, huh?"_

Sure, just talk about me like I'm not even here.

_"Yeah, yeah. Hey Neji," Shikamaru called him. Neji looked up to see the two boys looking at him. Shikamaru pointed his finger at Neji. "This is Neji." Then pointed his thumb at the blond beside him. "This is Naruto. Make nice."_

Naruto?_, he thought, sticking his hand out to Naruto to shake._ Why does that sound familiar?

_"Hey," he greeted the identified blond._

_Naruto took it and gave his hand a firm grasp with a big, pearly-tooth smile. "'Sup?" He let go of Neji's hand and said to Shikamaru, "Love to stay and chat, but someone needs to work to stack the greenbacks, you know?"_

_Shikamaru shook his head. "I don't know half the things you say, but whatever. Later."_

_Naruto waved at both the guys and walked back to the kitchen, yelling something that Neji couldn't understand. Shikamaru only smirked, mumbling again, "Moron."_

_Then it all came back to Neji, when Sasuke and Shikamaru were having their weird argument. Sasuke had said something like, '_He left you and Naruto's sorry asses and yet you're clinging to this false sense of loyalty to him, as if he still fucking gives a shit about either of you.' _Naruto. Was this the same Naruto who had been looking at him really strange the past few weeks the one Sasuke talked about? If so, that meant he too was involved in the mystery that was Gaara. Hell, he'd been involved since the beginning when Gaara hung up on the phone call on the bus weeks ago._

_"Hey." Neji looked up to Shikamaru who raised an eyebrow. "You've been chewing on the same piece of food for like, a minute now. Is the eel that tough?"_

_Neji moved his tongue and felt the mush of the seafood buried the gaps of his gums. _Ew._ He swallowed, replying, "No, just thinking."_

_"'Bout?"_

_"Nothing... nothing really."_

xoxo

Gaara pasted the last photo cut outs onto the colored piece of paper in front of him. He reached to his right to grab his hairdryer and let it run on low, tilting it against a shoe box so he wouldn't have to hold it in place. He rolled over to his side, burying his face into the dark carpet. His hands hurt from cutting, gluing, and coloring. There were markers and colored pencils spread out along the floor with packets of glitter and sequins stacked on top of some random magazines from around his room. Scraps of paper from cutting littered his room, too lazy to toss them out yet. Gaara guessed his room looked like the aftermath of a kindergarten class' craft project. He wouldn't be surprised if he sat up and saw a glob of crazy glue being absorbed into the floor.

He stretched his arms out above him with a loud yawn, then curled up into a ball. An eye ball looked back at him. Not a real one, a play toy ball that looked like an eye. It must have rolled out of its place when Gaara took the shoebox from under his bed. He looked straight into the ball's pupil, thinking, _This better be worth it in the end, Naruto, or I'm going to add another eye ball to my collection._

x - o

_Gaara stared at the body entangled in the remains of what was the rope maze. The blond-haired boy's head flopped back with a half-hearted smile._

_"I think I'm too big for this," he explained. He moved his hips in emphasis, but that snapped a red rope that whipped him in the leg. He howled in pain, though Gaara was in no hurry to help him out. It was much too amusing to watch him wiggle in the cocoon that had seemed to change into a torture device. It almost seemed suitable to how he wanted to hurt Naruto when he was particularly being an annoyance. Regardless, Naruto Namizake's ramen-stuffed body was just not built for little kid's play things._

_He sighed what sat on the tip of his tongue. "Moron."_

_Blue eyes flickered in his direction. "Why have I done to be called that?" He asked._

_Gaara raised a bare eyebrow in question. What _hasn't_ he done to deserve the title 'moron?'_

_Naruto understood the lack of response and groaned. "Shut uuup, I know I've done stuff, okay? Now help me out?" When Gaara made no move to help, Naruto tried to up the ante. He donned the sweetest pair of puppy eyes he could manage from his semi upside down view he had of Gaara._

_Gaara shook his head. For one thing, puppy eyes never worked on him. If Kankuro and Debbie, two of the most persistent people he'd ever have the displeasure of knowing, couldn't get what they wanted from Gaara with puppy eyes, Naruto had no chance. If Gaara's lack of care for the blond's situation seemed cold, he had logic for it too. Essentially, he got himself into the mess, he could get himself out. He heard the blond's whines of protest, but he simply sat on the ground and watched. It wasn't something you would see very often. Gaara had to enjoy it while it lasted._

~ xo ~

_"Thanks for all your help, Gaara," Naruto sarcastically muttered, unwrapping a purple cord from his ankle. Once he had the evil snake of a rope in his hand, he turned to launch it off into the forest. The toss made it as far as the closest metal bear statue, bouncing off it the head with a loud echo. He sighed and turned back to Gaara, frustrated face withering back to normal. His blue eyes fell downward, then back up to Gaara. Nervous. Uncomfortable. What for? He was the one that was excited to see Gaara. "So..." the blond started, letting it trail off._

_"..." To be honest, Gaara had no idea how to ask what he was going to ask. No matter how many times he replayed the request in his head, it sounded desperate. He hated asking for help from anyone. It should be something that he should be able to figure out on his own but Gaara had to face facts, he was bad with people. He'd been bad with them since the beginning of time. But Naruto, he was good with people. His big mouth never shut up, charming his way into people's hearts with a couple words and a bright smile. If anyone would know how to fix what was going on, it would be Naruto._

_Naruto swayed a hand in front of Gaara's face. "Hey, airhead. Brain still working?"_

_Gaara swatted the hand and mumbled, "Don't do that."_

_"Okay, okay," Naruto promised. He tucked his hands into his back pockets and asked, "Just, uhm, just wondering what I'm here for." His eyes looked up to the treetops, voice lowering, "I mean, you have that... Neji kid or whatever, right?" _What? _"Why do you need me, you know?" Naruto added, hands sliding from his back pockets to cross his arms over his torso. He looked a little upset, though Gaara could not focus on whatever feelings were sifting through the blond, as he was still focused on that fact that he apparently knew the very same boy he was having issues with._

_Naruto glanced back down at Gaara, catching the redhead's confused face. He immediately uncrossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. "Gaara, are you fucking kidding? Do you really think I'm that much of a moron to not notice?" Another little fact Gaara had forgotten about Naruto, his mood swings. People in school joked that he had PMS, but he was just a ball of emotions, something Gaara was almost completely empty of. Naruto stepped forward, lessening the space between Gaara and him. "You walked with him arm and arm through the cafeteria. _Everyone _knows. People have eyes." Naruto smirked, adding, "Well, some of us have pupils too."_

_"Shut up," Gaara snapped without thought. His sweater sleeve slipped over his mouth, realizing what he just said. _Fuck. Why did I-?

_Any form of satisfaction on his face dropped, astonished by Gaara's words. "D-did you just defend him?" he stammered. He didn't even bother to wait for Gaara's reply. His lips curled into a disheartened smile as he gazed upward into the sky. Naruto took a step away from Gaara, murmuring, "I can't believe you just defended him." The redhead listened as the blond took a stifled breath through his nose, like he was too mad to even breath right. Hurt eyes shot down back to Gaara's though everything else about Naruto screamed anger. He snarled, "So are you two the bestest fucking friends in the world now?"_

_This was going nowhere fast. Naruto wanted answers that Gaara couldn't give, but he knew the blond would still supply him with the information he wanted. He brushed off the question, answering with his own. "How do you know him?"_

_"I met him Friday, at Ramen Ichiraku's," Naruto quickly explained, but with a tilt of his head, he mocked, "He was there with Shikamaru. You remember him too, right?"_

Fuck._ He knew what Gaara was trying to do. Avoidance and it was countered by a low blow from Naruto. He was hurt and he wanted Gaara to feel the same way he did, dragging Shikamaru into this as the offensive strike. If anything, it proved by Naruto was the best option for what he needed to ask. He knew how to interact with people, so he just as easily knew how to manipulate them too._

_A fake smile worked its way onto the blond's face, insisting, "But, I'm sure you remember him. I mean, you see him every time your si-"_

_"Shut up!" Gaara cut him off, fingers scratching against the inside of his sweater sleeves._

_"Why should I!?" the blond yelled. He jammed his hands into his pockets and turned away, somewhat walking in another direction. "God, you know, I was really happy to hang out with you again. Even if you aren't happy to see me, I was and..." Naruto's feet stopped in place as his sentence drifted off. His head hung low, asking just loud enough for Gaara to hear, "What do you need from me that you can't get from him?"_

_Gaara was sure he ripped a hole in his sleeve. From how hard he was plucking at the threads, something broke. A small chill of the cold October air ran through and up his messed up forearm. He wasn't sure what to do. This was exactly the sort of thing the blond would know how to fix if it was the other way around. Gaara didn't. He stupidly stood there, letting the autumn winds fill the silence._

_"Unless..." the blond spoke up. "You _can't_ get anything from him." Naruto's eyes worked its way up from Gaara's sneakers. "Y-you haven't sat with him the past few days, huh?" Naruto finally caught on._

_Blue eyes met blue eyes. "So what happened?"_

xoxo

"So, what's happening with Nothing?" A voice buzzed in Neji's ear. The brunet felt an arm wrap around his shoulder, but he pretended that it was nothing, just like what Sasuke pretended Gaara was.

When the arm refused to remove itself from his body, he reluctantly sighed, "You mean _Gaara_?"

Sasuke shushed him by putting his hand over his mouth. Neji was tempted to lick it if it got it off of him. The dark-haired boy leaned back over Neji's shoulders, checking out where Shikamaru was. He was talking to a teacher a few feet down the hall about a piece of paper in his hand. He looked back to Neji and said, "Quiet, man. Shikamaru gets all pissy when we bring him up." _I wonder why, asshole._ "I just want to know what's going on."

Neji reached for his math book from a top of his locker, knocking Sasuke's black jacket sleeved arm off of him. He grumbled, "When the hell did you start caring about 'Nothing?'"

"I don't," Sasuke was quick to answer. He crossed his arms and leaned on the locker near Neji's, saying, "I just have to admit that it's pretty interesting with you two."

_Interesting? What the hell is interesting? _Neji raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh?"

Sasuke's dark eyes peered from under his long bangs, shooting him a look that said, 'Are you joking?' He nodded, saying, "Come on, _no one_ hangs out with him, not since eighth grade anyway." An evil smirk grew on his face as he eyes caught something. He grabbed Neji's arm and jerked him towards the right of the hall. He was ready to yank his arm away from Sasuke, but caught sight of what Sasuke was looking at. There was the bright sunshine of blond hair, Naruto, heading down the hallway with the same pink-haired girl. They were laughing and talking about something having to do with 'pickles,' the only word Neji was able to make out as they passed by. Naruto must of caught sight of them and stuck his tongue out at the Sasuke before skittering away, giggling with the girl. Sasuke shot daggers into the blond's back and growled, "Except, his numero-uno stalker boyfriend that tries to get with him all the time."

The word 'boyfriend' caught his attention more than anything else Sasuke said about Naruto. _Boyfriend? What does he mean?_ Neji was more than sure that Gaara wasn't gay, but it didn't soothe the weird feeling in his stomach. _We've never talked about girls. Or guys. Hell, we haven't talked about _anything_ other than what comes up in the moment. All I know besides him being wealthy is that he likes decorating and was once on a boat._

_But..._ He glanced at the dark-haired boy beside him. Sasuke let go of Neji's arm and took his place back against the locker, letting out an aggravated sigh. Although it seemed sort of far-fetched, he thought, _Maybe Sasuke knows something about Gaara. _Neji turned back to his locker, attempting to play stupid to see if he could get more information. "Boyfriend? That blond kid?"

"Well, obviously not boyfriends for real," Sasuke told him, recrossing his arms. "Naruto's dating Sakura, but I wouldn't be surprised if _he_ was a little faggot."

Neji's hand paused before his history book. Faggot. Out of all the words he could use for gay, he used _that_ one. He had heard it enough from his father who referred to him as that, but he didn't need to hear it more than that. For fuck's sake, the last thing he needed was a homophobic friend or another Akago whom Neji guessed was ashamed of his attraction to the same gender and tossed that word around to shame those proud of theirs. "What do you mean 'faggot?'" Neji asked, wondering if Sasuke would notice the rather tight grip he now held on his book.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He listed off, "Faggot. Gay. Fairy. Cocksucker. Take your pick."

"Is there a problem with _gay_ people?" Neji asked, emphasizing on the right term to use.

"Is there?" Another voice chimed in. Neji and Sasuke turned to see Shikamaru standing by them. He swung his black backpack onto his back and asked in a stuffy, Formal accent, "Do you disagree with the lifestyle of the homosexuals, _Sir Saucy Pants_?" Neji covered his mouth and leaned into his locker, trying not to laugh. Sasuke scowled at Shikamaru's little name. All he did back was raise an eyebrow in jest, waiting for Sasuke's reply.

_Yes, Sir Saucy Pants. How _do_ you feel about homosexuals and their immoral standards of living?_

"No," the black haired boy said. "I don't have a problem with them. I just don't want to _see_ it," emphasizing it with a disgusted shiver.

His answer still pissed Neji off, but he found himself saying, "Good. I'm glad to hear that." He bared a fake grin for Sasuke who was unsure where Neji was going with this. Neji slammed his locker shut and admitted, "I'm bi." Neji didn't even want to see Sasuke's face. He looked over to Shikamaru and slipped an arm around his waist, giving him a small smile. Shikamaru grinned back and put his arm around Neji's shoulders, waving to Sasuke with his free hand. They began to walk off with each other, Neji being able to hear the uneloquent sputters of Sasuke behind his back. _Yeah, that felt good to say._

Once they made it around the first turn in the hall, Shikamaru looked back and let out a laugh, squeezing Neji's shoulders tighter. "Did you see his face?"

"No, what happened?"

"He looked pretty disturbed, man." He imitated the disgusted face Sasuke made at first, then the dumbfounded one from when they walked away. Neji kind of felt bad now. Maybe he should have actually looked at Sasuke before they left instead of acting high and mighty. It was probably hilarious. Shikamaru slid his arm off of Neji with Neji following suit. "See, I told you he'd have a reaction like that," he said.

Neji tsk'ed. "Yeah, well-"

"GUYS!" The familiar voice of Kiba shouted from behind, hands landing hard on their shoulders. Neji didn't have time to be scared when Kiba nudged himself in between the two and threw his arms around them. He brought them in closer and asked, "Guess what?"

"You have abandoned your coarse language in exchange for a classy vocabulary full of four or more syllables?" Shikamaru guessed, earning him a kick to the shin from Kiba.

"No, no, I didn't get in trouble with my mom about my so-called 'coarse language,' so _now_ guess what?" He asked, smile even larger.

Neji guessed, "We're staying the night?"

"Staying the night," Kiba confirmed. He pulled his arms off the two and took a book of sticky notes out of his pocket, the first one with a number on it. He peeled it off and stuck it to Neji's chest. "Call if you're coming by. All you gotta do is bring a pillow. We got blankets at my place." He started to jog off towards the front door, shouting, "Get a ride with Shikamaru if you gotta!"

_Didn't I just say at lunch I'm not stepping inside that thing again?_, he asked himself.

"I know you don't want to ride with me," Shikamaru answered his question.

"No offense," Neji felt inclined to mention. It wasn't anything against Shikamaru, just the death wagon he willingly drove.

The ponytailed boy shrugged and told him, "None taken. Not everyone is an adrenaline junkie. By the way, I think Kiba forgot to give you his address, huh?"

"Wouldn't even matter. I don't know any of the streets."

"I'll give you directions."

"Okay."

x - o

_After their ramen feast, Shikamaru decided to leave the car in the parking lot and walk down to their next destination since it was down the road. When Neji asked where they were going, Shikamaru told him, "Tobacco store. I'm out of smokes."_

_"Oh... okay." Neji wasn't used to this at all. Shikamaru actually answered his questions and even allowed follow ups to them. It was sort of awkward hanging out with someone normal after so long. The ponytailed boy was interested in what Neji had to say rather than what he could do _for_ him. However, interest only goes so far before it reaches territory Neji wished not to discuss._

_"So, how's your hand doing?" Shikamaru asked, pulling out the box he had just bought from the store._

_Neji tried not to groan in disgust. He hated cigarette smoke. Everyone in the city smoked, Kankuro smoked, and now Shikamaru. How he did not have second-hand smoke-induced lung cancer, he had no clue, but he did have an asthmatic dilemma too. _That's what inhalers are for though,_ he remembered, feeling the little side pocket of his jeans for the medicated tube._

_"It's fine," he told the boy. "I just can't wait to get the bandages off."_

_Shikamaru propped the little stick of tobacco in the corner of his mouth and tucked the box into his back pocket. He leaned over and picked up the hand, saying, "Let me check it out."_

_"No way, man," Neji replied, taking his hand away. He didn't need Shikamaru to find out he was lying about burns. It would more pathetic than the actual reason his hand was bandaged._

_"Why not?"_

_"Because, alright?"_

_Shikamaru raised his hands in defense. "Alright, alright, whatever dude." He tucked his hands into his pockets, probably feeling around for a lighter. "Your eye healed pretty decently too," he added. The ponytailed boy took a purple lighter out and lit it, trying to get the cigarette to light. He mumbled, "Hurt by the rock, right?"_

_Neji nodded, not liking the way this was heading. He watched a little stream of smoke billow from the end and Shikamaru take the first hit of the cigarette. He blew out the puffs of gray with a relieved sigh. "Damn, that's good. Needed that." He plucked the cig from his lips and held it out to Neji. "You smoke?"_

_"No," the brunet said. "I have asthma."_

_"Shit," Shikamaru replied. He put the cig back in his mouth, mumbling, "You know, you could have told me that when I said we were getting cigs. I don't have to smoke."_

_"No, no, it's fine with me. The smoke filters through the open air, so you're not hotboxing(7) me."_

_"So no smoking in the car?"_

_"No smoking in the car."_

_Shikamaru shrugged and inhaled the cigarette. "Okay." He pulled the stick from his mouth and let a few seconds of silence settled between each boy before saying, "You know, not everyone has a perfect home life."_

_Neji stayed silent. He didn't want to talk about this. He liked Shikamaru, but they were not at any level of their friendship for him to share those sorts of dark secrets with him._

_The ponytailed boy took another breath of the cigarette, clarifying, "What's worse about a non-perfect home life is pretending that nothing is wrong to begin with."_

_Neji frowned, disliking what Shikamaru was saying. He never believed his life was perfect and he wasn't pretending it was. It just wasn't anyone's business to know what happened behind their front door. It's not like anyone could help anyway. Friends couldn't, extended family couldn't, and the cops would do nothing but put Neji and his sisters in a foster home or temporary living where they'd inevitably end up on the streets. For once, he decided to share his opinion in hopes that Shikamaru would just drop it. "I-"_

_"YO PEARL!" A voice cut him off._

Saved,_ Neji thought, though he did not know where the voice came from. The two boys looked around for the source, eyes settling on a familiar blond boy across the street. The guy waved frantically as if he was excited to see Neji. "Wait, is that Debbie?" Neji quietly asked himself. _Wait, did he just call me Pearl?

_Shikamaru waved at the guy, managing to catch what Neji said and asked, "Debbie? That's Deidara. You know him?"_

_Neji nodded, beginning to say, "Yeah, Gaa-" _Speak of the Devil. _Standing beside the blond was the little redhead in his oversized sweater glory. He appeared out of it, eyes settled on the sidewalk, paler than usual. He glanced upwards upon the blond yelling. Neji saw a flicker of his blue eyes meeting his own before they fell down. He grabbed the taller boy by the wrist and pulled him towards the black S.U.V. parked with a single wheel on the curb. Neji felt like he'd be punched in the gut. After all this time, Gaara was still upset with him. It wasn't like Gaara was one to seem happy to see someone, but how fast he looked away... _How can I apologize if he won't even give me a second to talk?

_Shikamaru must of noticed the hurt in Neji's face and put an arm around his shoulders. "Don't worry. He'll come around," he tried to comfort the brunet._

Yeah, I doubt that,_ he thought. At the same time, how could Gaara be so upset about being called a 'freak' for this long? Neji's been called every word in the book. Faggot, weirdo, slut (only by the boyfriend of a guy he hooked up with. Neji didn't know he was taken), asshole, but never had he been hurt enough to let something go on for this long. Akago always said messed up stuff about Neji and Neji returned the favor. Frenemies, he supposed, but they always made up. _Akago's besides the point. We've been in a toxic friendship since the beginning._ Gaara just wreaked his mind way too much._

_"Don't take this the wrong way," Shikamaru interrupted his thoughts. "But I don't think I'm perfectly comfortable with this."_

_"With what?" Neji asked._

_"Your head on my shoulder."_

_Neji blinked, realizing why his vision was tilted for a moment. He assumed it was because his dizziness was kicking in rather than the fact that his head leaned onto Shikamaru's shoulder. He was wondering why he wasn't feeling at all nauseous. Neji lifted his head off the ponytailed boy's arm. Shikamaru withdrew his own arm, sticking his hand inside his pocket. The brunet frowned, apologizing, "Sorry. I didn't notice I was doing that."_

_Shikamaru shook his head, flicking the little bud of the cigarette in a random direction. "It's fine. I don't really mind, but a little forewarning would be nice."_

_"Still, sorry."_

_Shikamaru stopped walking and pulled his car keys out of his pocket. Without noticing, they made it back to the parking lot of Ramen Ichiraku's. _I should stop spacing out so much.

_"Have you been to the bridge before?" Shikamaru asked, unlocking the passenger door for Neji. Shikamaru yanked the key out of the lock as the door swung open on its own and sat down in the passenger seat, swinging his legs over to the the driver's seat._

_When he made it to the driver's seat, Neji sat inside, replying, "I didn't even know there was a bridge here."_

_"Well, there is. We're gonna go there, okay?"_

_Neji shrugged and shut the door, pushing down the pathetic door lock. "You're the driver. I'm merely the pawn in your chess game you call 'road trip.'"_

_Shikamaru waited until Neji bungee corded the door in place and started the car. "Bridge it is."_

xoxo

As a result of his hand beginning to cramp, Gaara took a break from his crafting to pick up all the leftover paper scraps from cutting so much. He picked up each individual piece, tossing them into a garbage bag, too lazy to walk down to the first floor for the vacuum. After accumulating the rainbow of slivers of paper, he stared into the pile inside the white plastic bag. It looked liked an abstract collage of ads, flowers, and people. Then Gaara thought of a better use of the paper...

xoxo

"Uhhh..."

Kankuro watched as his younger brother laid in a pile of colorful papers, swishing his arms and legs back in forth. He wasn't expecting to walk in on Gaara doing something like this. Gaara usually stared at the ceiling, listening to his weird music about the beach or some shit like that, not... whatever he was doing now. He seemed pretty into it though. His little nose was scrunched up as if he was really focusing on getting whatever he was doing correct. It was sort of precious in a 'my weird brother has finally snapped' way.

"Whatchu doin', bro?" He dared to ask.

The little redhead's short limbs came to a slow stop. "Paper angel," he quietly answered.

"Oh... that's _new,_" Kankuro said, scratching his head. Really. Just unexpected.

Since Gaara had already stopped moving, he decided to gently remove himself from the pile, cautious not to touch any of the stray papers to keep the form of his 'angel.' Kankuro was a little amazed that it turned out pretty clean despite the lack of cooperation paper usually has with excess winds. There was plenty of the papers stuck to Gaara's body, but he didn't shake them off. The air from him doing that would set off the ones on the floor. He watched his little bro sneak over to his desk and pull out his camera.

_That's something familiar,_ Kankuro thought, watching Gaara step back in front of the angel to snap a photo of the angel outline. It explained why Gaara was messing around with the papers to begin with. He didn't do a lot of things in life unless they had a result that he was interested in. Kankuro had to admit, the angel shit looked pretty fun to mess with. _Maybe just once..._

"Gaara?"

The redhead lowered the camera and looked over to him, face blank as ever.

"Can I make a paper angel too?"

Gaara shrugged which Kankuro took as a 'yes.' He flopped forward onto the floor with the papers, sending them into a huge poof that scattered through out the room.

He may have started that off wrong.

Kankuro turned his head back to Gaara. He was pissed. The glare he was shooting was the equivalent of the looks he often gave Deidara. Kankuro sort of anticipated some form of a scolding, yet all Gaara did was bend over to pick up a thin book on the floor next to some craft supplies and some markers. The redhead walked over to the open door of his room, stopping to say, "Clean this," and left Kankuro by his lonesome.

The carrot top sighed and plopped his head back on the floor. "But I don't wanna clean."

xoxo

_He better clean my goddamn room._

x - o

_Naruto had probably been waiting ten minutes or so for Gaara to explain. Gaara led them into one of the metal bears to sit and talk, but now that he had Naruto's full attention, it felt embarrassing to tell the truth. He opened his mouth a few times, thinking of a way to say what he needed, and shut back up. It was impossible._

_"How about this?" Naruto spoke up. He raised his hands, signing a two and a zero. "Twenty questions to figure out what's wrong."_

_Gaara hadn't played twenty questions in years. The last time had been with the blon- _Never mind that,_ he refocused himself. _Now. Stay in present time._ Gaara nodded in agreement. It saved him the trouble of explaining the source of the problem._

_"First question," Naruto said. "Does it involve that Neji guy?"_

_He nodded. "Second, did you do something to scare him off?"_

_He shook his head. "Third, did he do something to you?"_

_He nodded. "Fourth, he didn't do anything _physical_, right?"_

_Gaara shook his head even harder. Naruto let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. I thought I'd have to snap someone's dick on Monday."_

_Besides that frightening information Naruto shared with Gaara, he had to think, _so far, so good.

~ xo ~

_"So, Neji said you weren't normal and you got upset by it?" was Naruto's final (and third) guess._

_Gaara wanted to curl up under his sheets. It sounded worse leaving Naruto's mouth, but he nodded. The moron guessed correctly after two close guesses._

_Naruto leaned his head back against the shell of the bear, putting his hands in his pockets. "You know, that seems a little lame to call me out about," Naruto said. His eyes shot open and turned back to Gaara, quickly adding, "Not that I don't want to be out here with you, I'm always happy when I get to talk to you, but I mean, yeah, I guess that'd explain why he's been sitting Sucks-ke."_

_Gaara snorted much to his dismay. He didn't know Naruto still used that nickname for Sasuke. It was much more appropriate for the boy than his actual name anyway._

_The blond slumped further down on the bench, hair sliding upwards against the wall. He grinned and said, "I see you still appreciate the artisanship of my nickname creations. But back to the point I guess." He fixed the messed up hair on the back of his head and leaned back against the wall. "This 'advice' you so desperately need from me."_

_The redhead crossed his arms across his lap, looking down at his dirty Converse. "I want... to-" Gaara cleared his throat, muttering the last word as low as he could and turned his head from Naruto, pretending to cough a bit. _Smooth, Gaara.

_If anyone but Naruto seen Gaara do something like that, they'd probably mock him for the rest of his life. He was talking to Naruto though. The blond idiot liked h- "What the hell was that!?" A boisterous laugh escaped the blond's mouth. His orange sneakers kicked up a storm of dirt, banging away in the rhythm of his laughter. Then again, Naruto was known to be unintentionally offensive._

_Gaara clenched his fists. "Shut up!" He didn't need comments from the peanut gallery._

_Naruto, for once, piped down and squeaked, "Sorry. That was just fucking hilariously stupi-"_

_"Shut. Up."_

_The blond rolled his eyes, bringing himself up to properly sit on the bench instead of melting into the seat like a warm popsicle. "Whatever. So, you care to repeat what you said in a language understandable by modern humans and not cavemen with bronchitis?"_

Not really,_ he thought, but nodded. Although it was a little difficult to work out, Gaara managed to practically whisper, "I want to apologize... to Neji."_

_Gaara didn't look beside him. His face felt too warm to risk even a glance. He just turned his head away from him, counting the rivets in the bear's lining. _One, two, three._ When the redhead reached twenty-two and there still was no response on the blond's end, Gaara knew he had to see what was happening. He glanced to his left. Blue eyes were frozen in place, body frigid. His hands were clutching the knees of his dark jeans. Naruto was the definition of stunned._

_"A-a-apolog-gize?" He stammered, eyes blinking wildly. "But I-, you don't-, I mean.." The blond shook his head and grabbed Gaara by the shoulders, taking the redhead by surprise. Naruto turned him enough to stare straight into his crazed eyes. "Gaara. You _never _apologize."_

_The redhead wiggled out of the hold, shoving the hands off of his body. There was no need to touch him. He scooted further from Naruto on the small bench as a precaution, saying, "I have."_

_"Nuh huh. You always just say 'I didn't mean to say that' or 'I didn't mean for that to happen.' I've never heard you say 'sorry' in my life."_

I've said it to someone before,_ Gaara remembered. There was a flicker of the water fountain in his head, hand in hand with that same someone. His face felt warm again._

_"Besides, shouldn't he be the one to apologize? He called you not normal."_

_Gaara shook his head. He told him, "Cold shoulder."_

_Those two words seemed to click immediately with Naruto who hummed a quiet 'ooh.' He sucked air through his teeth, then asked, "How long?"_

_"Five days?"_

_"Shit," Naruto whispered. "Kid doesn't have a chance." The blond slumped in his seat again, taking a look at Gaara. "Or at least he may now. Is that what you wanted advice for? How to apologize correctly?"_

Just saying 'sorry' won't solve it. I need more than that.

_"Just so you know, Gaara," Naruto spoke up a bit louder. He looked forward at the mangled rope maze out the entrance hole of the metal bear, teeth biting at his bottom lip. "I'm really fucking pissed off. Like, _really _pissed. What you're asking from me, it's basically like me stealing a ramen recipe from my boss, Teuchi, becoming famous because of it, losing it, then coming back to him for a copy like I did nothing wrong. It's fucked."_

_Gaara couldn't say anything back. He couldn't form any sort of response to it. It didn't matter what he said anyway, he would come out sounding like he didn't care or an asshole. Another situation that would involve more than the words 'I'm sorry' to remedy it. The blond who was close to pricking a hole in his lip from chewing so hard was not Gaara's priority and would never be._

_"I'll help you though," Naruto finally said. "Because I still care about you, but that's it. If your fucking friendship crash and burns anyway, it's not my problem."_

_Naruto turned his head back to Gaara. "Listen up, brat, because I'm only going to tell you this once..."_

x - o

Gaara recapped his marker and placed it down on the kitchen counter. Luckily Temari wasn't around to see him coloring on the table, especially because he 'accidentally' doodled on the blue countertops. He picked up the thin book he constructed, carefully flipping through it to find any other little errors or loose papers. After a clean check through, he bared the smallest smile at his work. _Done._

x - o

_"Make him a gift," Naruto told him. "You can buy anyone anything, but it always means more when you put your heart into making someone a gift. It will make the apology seem more genuine, that you really want him to forgive you for being all... distant, I guess."_

x - o

_This better work,_ he thought as he pulled on his sneakers by the front door. _Otherwise, I just wasted some nice photos._

xoxo

Neji decided to walk home instead of taking the bus for three reasons. The first reason was because there was something weird about the way that Naruto kid had been staring at him all day. In between classes, his eyes just followed Neji down the hall until he rounded a corner. It was borderline stalker. _Maybe there is truth with Sasuke's badmouthing. That would suck if Gaara had the same thing to deal with everyday. _He sighed. _Not that he ever told me anything about him anyway._

The second reason was because if he was going to live in Sunaville for the rest of the year, he had to get to know the streets. He had almost a full month under his belt and all he knew was the street he lived on. It wasn't like Konoha City when Neji was out late at night with Akago and his friends, roaming the streets to find something to do. Most blocks ran into each other, so it was easy to find your way back. The town was like a complicated maze with very few stand out landmarks to associate streets with. He didn't have the advantage of these townsfolk, growing up in Sunaville. This place was the rural jungle of the county. _Wouldn't a 'rural jungle' just be a forest?_

Neji frowned. He was almost sick of the word 'forest.' Or it just made him feel sick to his stomach. A lump of guilt about Gaara, which led to the third reason he walked, Gaara himself. The bus rides the past week felt so lonely. Even with Gaara sitting right beside him, it was like sitting next to a lump of ice. He didn't acknowledge Neji in the least bit and the days he was missing, much like today, it felt wrong to sit in their seat. No one tried to sit by him, nor anyone try to talk to him. Had he taken the bus, the only company he would have would be the set of blue eyes staring at him until his drop off.

He supposed he could have taken that ride with Shikamaru, but loneliness was not worth his life. Then again, after passing two roads by the name of 'Wicker Road' and 'Wicker Street,' he may have to bet his life with the devil. There was no way he would be able to find Kiba's house on his own.

x - o

_The can of soda Neji held slipped out of his hand, dropping down onto the sidewalk. The clear liquid splashed all over Shikamaru's shoes, though he barely fussed as much as Neji did. "Shit, I'm sorry, Shikamaru," he apologized, kneeling to wipe down what he could with the single napkin he had in his pocket from the gas station. They stopped by it to fill up the car and picked up a soda each before heading over to the bridge. Neji stuck the napkin to the toe of the shoe and picked up the can teetering on the edge of the curb. He shook it, but barely felt any liquid in it. "Fuck," he quiet cursed._

_Shikamaru kneeled down and took the napkin from his shoe. "It's alright. It's just soda. Besides, you picked a clear soda at least."_

_"At least. Even if it was a dark cola, your sneakers are gray," Neji replied, tossing the can to the foresty area off the bridge. He looked at the black tips of the laces that dripped with the soda. "Wait, are you wearing Pumas?"_

_"Yeah."_

_Neji snorted, getting a weird look from Shikamaru. The brunet shook his head, unable to keep his comment to himself, "Those are some girly ass sneakers."_

_"Fuck off," Shikamaru replied, standing up. "Everyone always says that."_

_Neji stood up too and leaned his forearms against the ledge of the bridge. "It doesn't help that they're the skinny low-tops."_

_"You're too amused by this."_

_"Yeah, so what?"_

_Shikamaru rolled his eyes and picked up his can of Cola from the ledge, taking a large sip. "Judgemental," he said with a smile._

_"Maybe," Neji said, taking a glance off the bridge. Dozens of cars zipped full speed beneath them, disappearing under the bridge and reappearing on the other side._

_According to Shikamaru, the bridge they were standing on was formerly a train track for the train that used to run from town. Like many small towns, it shut down years ago, so they had to pave over the bridge for the new vehicles. It explained the various ridges in the pave job. They did enough to get by. Shikamaru didn't drive onto the bridge for that reason._

_"The suspension on my car is shit. I wouldn't be able to stay on my side of the road," he explained, flicking his turn signal as they pulled over to the side of the road before the bridge._

_"So, is there anything magical about this bridge that makes it visit-worthy?" Neji asked, half tempted to spit down at the cars to see if it'd land on a car's windshield. The city kid in him wanted to make a little trouble, though he'd feel bad right after._

_"Not really," Shikamaru said. "I kind of just come here to think. It's pretty quiet most of the time."_

_A loud truck blared its horn from below. Neji raised an eyebrow. "This is quiet?"_

_"Up here it is." The ponytailed boy pointed down the other side of the bridge. It looked like the forests in town, dense and dark. Neji was only able to see a few feet into the path before the shade of the treetops shadowed the rest. "Barely anyone goes to that area over there. Everyone goes out the main entrances."_

_"Why not?"_

_"There's two roads in there. The left one is where the train used to ride through. Since they removed the track, it's one of those real bumpy nature roads you can only take with a truck or Jeep or whatever. Something that you're ready to go offroading with. The right turn in there leads down to the highway. The ramp has no merge lane, so it's a one shot into eighty mile per hour traffic. It's just easier to take the long way out of town."_

_Neji nodded, understanding the hell it probably was to jump into the highway. Not to mention the ramp only went one direction._

_"Where does this highway go?"_

_Shikamaru pointed in the direction they were facing. "Misty Valley. Real crappy town, but you gotta drive through it to get to the actual Misty."_

_"There's a town called 'Misty?'"_

_"No, Misty is the city. Misty Valley is the town. Hey, I didn't come up with the names, alright? I was just born here." Shikamaru pointed his thumb behind them. "That way is Kiri. You should know that place, right?"_

_"Yeah." Neji visited Kiri every so often, though his memory of what it looked like was foggy. His grandparents lived there and it wasn't like they took his little six year old self out sight-seeing. He was spoiled with homemade desserts and spare change to buy candy from the corner store when he went back home. He too went once when he was a teenager. Akago and his friends managed to convince him to take an ecstasy pill before they drove to some all ages club. His head was too fuzzy to remember anything but a tall angel statue and how soft Akago's hands were when they slipped under his shirt as they danced. Beyond that, Kiri was a blank._

_"My dad lives in Kiri," Shikamaru told him. He took a deep breath and sighed, mumbling more to himself, "Or at least he says he does."_

_The brunet wasn't sure whether or not to ask about his dad. They had an awkward moment from earlier too, but why would he mention him again if he didn't want to talk about it? Most people kept things like that to themselves. He remembered what Shikamaru said earlier, about it being worse to pretend nothing's wrong than living that non-perfect life. _Is his life shit too then?

_"You just live with your mom?" Neji decided to ask._ Have to start somewhere.

_Shikamaru continued to stare at the cars below them, answering, "Step-mom."_

_"Your real mom...?" Neji pressed on, feeling like the ponytailed boy had other things he needed to talk about besides his dad. He felt a bit out of place for offering the ear. Akago never talked to him about his problems, directly anyway. He complained to anyone with ears and if you overheard, you just knew. There wasn't any line of privacy or concern for hurting the other person. This one on one thing with some guy he only started talking to was strange, but he wouldn't complain. Shikamaru was the nicest guy he has met in the town so far._

_"She left," Shikamaru mumbled, sliding a hand up to his face. He wiped his cheek with a loud groan. "Ugh, I need a fucking cig." He looked at Neji and asked, "Is that alright?"_

_Neji nodded, watching him pick the box and lighter from his pockets. He got the cigarette lit and took a big puff, blowing it down toward the cars. It flew back up into his face, but he didn't cough. He just waved it off and slouched over the side of the bridge, hands dangling._

_"Couldn't stand dad. Took off," he said, uncomfortably raising the cigarette up to his mouth._

That's what my mom should have done in the first place,_ Neji thought. This wasn't about him though. Shikamaru pulled himself up again, took of sip of the soda he still had left, and launched the can into the woodsy area where Neji tossed his._

_"Dad remarried?" Neji guessed._

_"Not exactly," Shikamaru said. "Mom couldn't divorce him because he wouldn't sign the papers. Dad hooked up with my new mom, but they aren't married. Legally, she's just a woman acting as my guardian until I'm eighteen."_

_Neji hated that apathetic look the ponytailed boy wore. He weakly took another breath of the cigarette and sighed, smoke trailing up into the clean air above. He felt the need to ask, "Why didn't your dad take you to Kiri?"_

_"Same reason mom left. Dad's a druggie," Shikamaru explained, slouching over the side of the bridge again. "Got sober long enough to find a new gal, relapsed, and she kicked his crackhead ass out." He groaned again and instead sat down on the bridge, still staring out at the traffic through the bridge posts. "Fucking hate my parents," he whispered, fingers squeezing the tobacco stick a little too hard. The insides popped out of the filter at the end, something that Shikamaru didn't notice anyway._

_Neji wanted to squat down and hug the boy, like how to wanted to do for Akago, but he didn't want Shikamaru to think he was pitying him. That's exactly how Neji would feel if it was the other way around. Hugs are temporary cures for the pain in your heart. They lasted as long as the next shit event to occur. He ran a finger over the stone ledge, eyes absently looking back to the hooptie parked in the dirt. "So your car...?"_

_"One of dad's sober acts of care." Shikamaru flicked the remainder of the cigarette through the posts and muttered, "More than what my mother's ever done for me my entire life."_

_"You talk to her?"_

_"I get letters. I barely write back."_

_The brunet wasn't sure what to think. He just felt bad. Everything leaving Shikamaru's mouth was just pure and simple, bad. He stayed quiet, unsure of what he could say back._

_"Just so you know," Shikamaru spoke up. He wiped the loose tobacco off his pants, saying, "I'm not telling you this shit because I'm some whiny bitch with mommy _and _daddy issues. I'm telling you because you shouldn't keep things to yourself all the time." His hand fiddled with his pocket for the box for a third cigarette. "Just because we're guys and we're supposed to be these big, strong stone walls doesn't mean that you can't talk _something _ out occasionally. Locking shit up will only make the explosion catastrophic." Shikamaru looked up to Neji, cigarette dangling from his lips. "You know?"_

_"...Yeah," Neji quietly said. "I know." He knew exactly what Shikamaru was talking about. Where was he before he moved to Sunaville? A week before he had to leave and he went fucking apeshit on Akago about everything he could possibly think of that the white-haired boy done to him, where was Shikamaru then? "You should be a therapist or something."_

_The first little smirk in a while crawled back onto Shikamaru's face. "It's not therapy, it's common sense. 'Sides, I wouldn't want to follow in my mom's footsteps."_

_"Your mom is a therapist?"_

_"Counselor at Konoha University. Talks with all the students and shit." His smile fell down again. "She's done great without me."_

_"Don't say that," Neji said, giving into his urge to hug Shikamaru. He kneeled down beside him and put his arms around his shoulders, aware of how awkward it could have been for Shikamaru. "I don't know a lot about you, but from what I see, you've done great without her too."_

_He was right about Shikamaru feeling uncomfortable. The ponytailed boy gently pushed down the arm that was across his chest, leaving Neji's right arm around his shoulders. "I guess. I don't know, man. Life's just shit."_

_Neji agreed and sat back beside Shikamaru, looking into the sky horizon instead of at the cars coming from it. The sky was getting dark, blue fading into an orange as sun began its descent behind the mountains in the distance. The cars were all setting their headlights on, flickering in and out from behind the bridge's posts. The roar of the engines down below seem to fade off as he focused onto the sky. He hadn't seen a sunset in ages. There was never time to appreciate it._

_"I agree. It's quieter up here."_

_"Told you."_

xoxo

Gaara was stuck in place. It was like his sneakers were hot glued to the sidewalk in front of Neji's house. What was he even doing? He didn't think it through. How was he expected to just up and appear at his house, expecting nothing from the brunet after this week of silence? The brunet was a coward, but he didn't put up with bullshit. He yelled at Gaara for leaving him at lunch, yelled at him for getting them almost killed at Asuma's, so why would he not yell at him now?

Instead, Gaara stood in place, staring at the tacky daisy curtains in the front window of the flat level. He could have started to count the petals on each flower, but it would only delay the inevitable. At some point, the redhead would have to walk up to the door and ring the bell or feel like a creeper for as long as his feet took to walk to or from the house.

_Okay,_ he tried to hype himself up. _Just walk up. Walk and ring the bell. Easy._

_And say what?_, his brain argued with itself. _'Sorry for ignoring you when you tried to say sorry?'_

The redhead wanted to just leave the book on the sidewalk in hopes Neji would discover it and be done with it. He could hear Naruto's shrill voice in his ear already saying, _'Man up and give him the gift, don't wuss out.'_ It was difficult to not do so. But if he wanted Ne-

_His eyes. That's all._

With that, he decided to finally move. He walked up the stone pathway and onto the front steps, opening the screen door. He held it open with his hip, cradling the book in his left arm as he rung the bell on the right. _Ding-dong._ The sound of the bell set off warning bells of his own. Everything in him was yelling at him to run. Run and don't look back. The door creaked open, cutting off any chances of escape. He took a deep breath and looked up.

A boy taller than him with spikey brown hair, a gray headband, sunglasses, and a tall collared jacket stared down at little Gaara. Definitely not Neji. Gaara returned the stare, a silent conversation between the two.

Gaara raised an barren eyebrow, his way of asking for Neji. Shino was observant. He knew who'd he be looking for. Shino interpretted it correctly. He shook his head and pointed to the house to Gaara's right. The redhead glanced over to the rather rickety, rundown house and back to Shino. Gaara merely nodded and turned away, knowing that the strange boy didn't need a 'thanks' anyway. He heard the door shut behind as he crossed Shino's lawn onto Neji's yellowing one. It barely registered to care about Neji lying when he had to do something out of character.

He prepared himself for round two as he stepped up to the cracked wood door, deciding to knock instead. The out of place buzzer was the main factor in that choice. He knocked three times on an uncracked spot and stepped back, awaiting someone to answer. Preferably someone with those ridiculously white eyes. He was not looking forward to a 'third time is a charm' situation. The door opened, just enough to look at the eyes of the one answering. _White eyes_.

"Neji?" He asked, though the way those pair stared at him looked nothing like his. They both shared that moonlike shine, but this one had a different feeling. Shy, nervous, weak, nothing like his.

The door opened a little more, revealing the blue, short haired girl that came onto the bus with Neji days ago. His sister he assumed. The timid girl shook her head, answering, "No, Neji's not here yet."

That blew a hole in his plan. _Fuck..._

The sound of something shattering recaptured Gaara's attention. He looked straight at the girl and up above her into the shadow of the doorway. There was a loud yell muffled from somewhere in there. The girl's head turned back to see what was happening, slightly shutting the door on Gaara. When she turned back to him, she softly said, "Sorry," and closed it completely without giving him a chance to say anything else. He heard two locks shift into place and the pitter patter of her feet leaving.

_That didn't sound right... not at all._

xoxo

"My dad drinks."

_Shikamaru's eyes shifted over to Neji. His head was leaning against the wheel, arms craddling it like an awkward pillow. They had parked a few houses down from Neji's place, sitting and talking about random stuff after the boy spilling his guts at the bridge. Neji wasn't sure what made him even want to admit that little fact to Shikamaru. Maybe because he felt like he owed him something for listening to the boy's woes._ Maybe I needed to get something off my chest_._

_"Your mom?" The ponytailed boy lazily asked._

_"Waste of space," he said. It sounded less bad in his head._

_"Harsh."_

_"Truth."_

_A car drove past, headlights reflecting off the shiny disco ball rearview dangler Shikamaru bought from the gas station. The lights briefly scattered over Shikamaru's brown ponytail before vanishing as the car past by. It was a lot darker now that the sun had went down. His guess was that it was around six, six-thirty now. He didn't want to go to his house. He had asked Shikamaru to pull over away from his house just so he wouldn't be seen. He was glad that Shikamaru didn't ask why, he just did as he was asked. Neji knew he had to go back sometime. Just not now._

_Shikamaru snuggled his face more into the center of the wheel. The horn weakly beeped, another thing on the car that needed to be fixed. "I'm tired," he yawned._

_"Am I keeping you up?" Neji asked, plucking at a green bungee cord._

_"Yeah, but that's good. I sleep enough as is."_

_"I don't sleep very well," Neji told him._

_The dark eyes travelled back up to him. "Yeah?"_

_"House is too loud at night." Neji curled a piece of his hair, sinking down into the seat. He wanted to sleep, but not at home. Maybe in a motel. Akago's. He used to take sleeping pills when he stayed there. The brunet wasn't sure why he kept thinking of Akago so much today. Comparisons. Comparing the white-haired boy to Gaara to Shikamaru to just about anyone else he had come across. The devil in white fur, the saint that kept his sanity._

_Shikamaru ran a finger down the steering wheel cover and back up, eyes trying not to shut. Neji could tell. His eyelids were jittery, fluttering back open when a car whizzed past. Neji couldn't be selfish. Shikamaru needed to get home while he was still alert._

_"I'm gonna get going," he told the ponytailed boy, staring to undo the cords from the door._

_"You sure?"_

_"Yeah, you're gonna fall asleep driving if I keep you here." Neji unlatched the last cord, the door swinging open, the bottom barely an inch off the sidewalk. He pulled the strap of his messenger bag over his shoulder and put his right leg outside the door. "Thanks for today. See you Monday."_

_He tried to step out, but a hand grabbed at his jacket. Neji looked back at Shikamaru, his face still nuzzled into the steering wheel. "Wait a second, wanted to ask you something."_

_Neji frowned and took a glance up the street where his house was. The lights of the living room were on. The kitchen too. Maybe he could spare another minute or two out. "What is it?"_

_"I was wondering, do you like guys at all?" Shikamaru asked, voice soft from almost dozing off. The brunet's eyes widened. Surely he didn't mean... The ponytailed boy's right eye opened to check out Neji. A little smirk worked its way on as he said, "Whoa, man. Not like that. I'm happily straight and taken. Just wondering 'bout you."_

_"That's a bit of a random question, don't you think?"_

_He shrugged. "Maybe, but I'm just asking. You don't have to answer. Your business."_

_A respect for privacy. It was positively refreshing. Neji pulled his leg back into the car and shut the door, pressing the lock back down. He guessed he could give Shikamaru the benefit of the doubt and answer his question. It wasn't like he was some gossip mongler. He made it clear with the shit with Sasuke that he wasn't some popularity junkie like Kiba and Choji. He adjusted the backpack onto his lap and admitted, "I'm bi."_

_Shikamaru closed his eyes and nodded. "Don't take it personally, but I kind of got that vibe from you. Just wanted to see if I could verify it."_

_A vibe? Neji wasn't outvertly out, at least he didn't think he was._ It's the hair. It's always the freaking hair!

_"I promise, you're not obviously gay at all. I just get vibes from some people, that's all. It's not like I'm always right anyway," Shikamaru swore._

_"That's good," Neji told him. He would hate to look that obvious. Once again, it was his business, not something he put on display unless he was comfortable with the people he was with. And for the most part, Shikamaru turned out to be a good guy. He could trust him._

_"Don't let Sasuke know," the ponytailed boy mumbled. He pulled his head up from the steering wheel and leaned back against the seat, head lolling over the too short head stop. "I think he's weird about gays. My guess is because he's in the closet too," he chuckled._

_Neji grinned and asked, "You get the vibes?"_

_"A little bit," he said. "Once again, I'm sometimes off, but you should see the way he looks at Naruto, you know, blondie from the ramen place?"_

_"Yeah."_

_Shikamaru nodded, continuing, "Yeah. Sasuke fucking hates him too, but when they're arguing or having a staredown, it looks like he gives Naruto his undivided attention. Like he'll stare down that kid until he rounds the corner. Either he really hates Naruto or he wants to jump his bones."_

_Neji laughed as soon as Shikamaru stopped talking. 'Mysterious,' lady killer Sasuke? It couldn't be, but it would be fucking hilarious if it was. "I'll look out for them if I'm ever in the same room with both of them," Neji promised. He looked out the windshield to the sky. The sky was an even darker blue. He thumped the dashboard clock with a fist. It briefly flashed seven before it shut off a second later. "I have to go."_

_"Yeah," Shikamaru said, pulling his head back up. "Later then, man."_

_The brunet undid the door lock, door swinging out on its own again. "Yeah, later."_

_Neji got out of the door and closed the door, holding it down long enough for Shikamaru to lean over the seat to cord it into place. When it was in, he thumbs up at Neji and waved, crawling back into the driver's seat. As Neji walked down the sidewalk, he heard the hooptie start up and two honks. He just raised his hand up in a wave, not bothering to look back. It would have just tempted him to stay there instead of going home._

x - o

"Gaara?," escaped his lips the moment his eyes fell upon him. The redhead, the boy who had seemingly treated Neji like he was nothing but a speck of dust in the wind, sat on the lawn in front of his house. His _actual_ house. Neji didn't know where to start first. Should he be shocked that Gaara was in front of him, waiting? That he's sitting on actual lawn? Should he be pissed for him ignoring Neji's attempts to say sorry? Maybe a bit happy that Gaara was here, meaning he cared enough to listen to what he had to say? No, annoyed that he said nothing when they saw each other Friday. Or annoyed that he still remained silent, not acknowledging Neji calling his name? His blue eyes stayed fixated on his black sneakers, doing nothing but itching his forearm with a coloful book on his lap.

He repeated his name, though there was no reaction. Eyes on sneakers, fingers scratching his arm, gray sweater rippling in the wind.

Was this going to be a repeat of that day they went to Asuma's farm? How he waited for Neji at his stop in his semi-strange way of apologizing for leaving him at lunch? Gaara wasn't in school today, so had he been waiting since the end of school for him to arrive? It was probably half an hour, fourty-five minutes after the usual time he arrived by bus. It was a chilly day too. He could see the redhead's wind burnt cheeks. It almost matched his hair.

"Gaara," he called again. Nothing. The little body sitting on the dead grass was immobile other than those fingers rubbing up and down his arm.

_I'm not that patient, Gaara. What do you want?_

Neji stood there, few feet away from Gaara, staring at him. Gaara sat there, few feet away from Neji, staring at his shoes.

The brunet was getting annoyed. If he wasn't going to talk and he wasn't going to even look at Neji, why in the hell was he here? Was this to mock him? If so, he's doing a goddamn fine job. _Once more._ "Gaara!" He called louder than the other times. Like the other times, the redhead remained despondent. Neji was over it.

"Fuck this," he whispered to himself, walking behind Gaara towards his home.

"Wait!" the raspy voice of his current lawn accessory called out.

Neji's feet stopped. He didn't have to talk to him. He could have easily kept moving inside, pretend he hadn't said anything at all, and move on with life. Life without Gaara. He'd have Shikamaru, Sasuke, Kiba, and Choji, people who appeared to give a damn about him, more so than that redhead behind him. He would lead a more normal life with them than Gaara. Consistency, comfort, center. Wasn't that what Neji wanted in the first place?

The brunet's hand tightened around the handle of his backpack, looking over his shoulder. Gaara was standing, holding the colorful book to his chest, head down to the ground. He wasn't saying anything though, just breathing deeply like he was preparing to do something. Whatever it was, it was trying Neji's control not to snap at Gaara. Why was he giving Gaara the time of day if Gaara couldn't even give him his?

"I-" the redhead said, eyes working their way back up to Neji's. "I... I..." He took another breath and looked down again. He couldn't form the words he needed to say apparently. He looked to the left, to the house Neji had been pretending was his, and changed his words. He said, "You lied."

Was that _really_ what he wanted to start out with? It definitely did not get Neji into a better mood. Neji had to turn to Gaara when he said, "Are you kidding me?" He gestured to the house and asked, "Is _that_ all you came here for? My _house_?"

Gaara frowned, shook his head and said, "No. I... wanted to..." His small hands squeezed the book, taking a few steps closer to Neji, still maintaining distance that Neji saw fit. He didn't want another shoving contest like back at Gaara's house. "Wanted to... a...apol..." The redhead took a hard swallow, finishing, "Apologize."

_Apologize? He wants to apologize?_ He was at a stand still. There was only two directions this was going to go: he'd allow Gaara to say whatever he needed and forgive him and apologize himself for his words. Or the way he was most apt to go, get pissed.

His mind chose to get pissed.

"Apologize!?" Neji yelled loud enough for Gaara to take a step back. "Where the hell was this days ago when I was trying to say 'sorry?!' So what, I'm supposed to just let you say your two little words and pretend that you haven't been a fucking ice princess to me the entire week?"

Gaara frowned, muttering, "I'm not a princess..."

"I don't care!" The brunet replied. He ran a hand through his hair with a groan. "Just what do you expect out of me? I'm not a fucking puppy that will blindly follow you everywhere you go. I do have my own will and right now, it's not sure if it wants to deal with you now."

The redhead's hands stopped squeezing the book, lowering it down to his side. "I'm doing my best right now..."

"And your best sucks," Neji told him. He saw Gaara's lips curl up in anger, though he remained silent. "Why? Why should I give you another chance?"

"Because I'm asking."

It was true. Gaara hadn't demanded anything from him. He had been just standing there, enduring Neji's complaints. Unfortunately, Neji still had so much more to say.

"Because you asked? Didn't I ask for your attention when I was trying to say sorry? Why didn't _I_ get a moment to speak?"

The redhead stayed quiet, so Neji pressed on, "Why are you even here? And don't say to apologize because I don't really care. I just want to know." He stepped up closer to the smaller boy, enough that he could just see the turmoil of those waves in his eyes. With a soft, stern voice, he asked, "Do you even like me? Or am I just your play toy?"

xoxo

Gaara's fingers twitched in anxiety. He couldn't take Neji staring at him. He couldn't answer that question. _Fight or flight? Fight or flight?_

He shoved the book into Neji's chest and yelled, "I'm sorry! I was immature and ignored you, okay!?"

His body chose flight.

xoxo

Neji stumbled over his feet, regaining his balance soon enough to see the redhead dash across his yard, onto the sidewalk, and down the block. He was beyond confused with what just happened. All he did was ask a simple question. Were they friends or was he just a pet? Gaara answered neither, _though he did apologize_. The brunet sighed and looked down at his chest, the book Gaara had been death gripping the entire time. He pulled it away from his body to check it out.

A blue cover with flowers and leaves pasted on with a strip of white paper across across it. In black marker was some Japanese symbols. A word. _My Japanese is pretty rusty,_ he remembered. The word looked familiar though. He would attempt translate it later, he just wanted to see what was inside first. He thumbed through the first pages. Collages. Each page was its own collage with photographs, both digital and polaroid, and pictures from what he guessed were from magazines. They had a theme. One page was all orange with people smiling, playing around, and a photograph of a sunset. The page next to it was dark and gloomy, rain clouds and thick and sloppily drawn creatures on lined paper with a picture of the other side of that bridge on the outskirts of town. Where the forest enclosed the exit.

As Neji flipped through the pages and saw the same kanji on the corner of each page, he couldn't help to think, _Did he do this all for me?_

_No way,_ his mind reasoned. _He wouldn't do all this as an apology. It was probably some spare book he had. A gift._ That thought made him feel worse. Gaara gave him a gift in hopes of forgiveness. Had Neji chosen to forgive, he never had the chance anyway. That kid took off like there was a demon on his heels. All he could do is wait for tomorrow to hash it out, provided Gaara even showed up on the bus or at school in the first place. He closed the book and put it into his messenger bag, heading towards the entrance of his house.

x - o

His dad was out. _Good,_ Neji thought, shoving sweatpants into his bag. He took out his heavy math and history books to make room. He could just hold his books anyway. With his dad gone, he could just leave the house. His mother wasn't going to say anything. She was currently slumped over the kitchen table, eyes blank and lifeless. It was pathetic. It was like she didn't know what to do with herself without his father around. Neji remembered what he told Shikamaru, that his mother was a waste of space. The truth. The harsh, pathetic truth. She was no longer her own woman. A blue haired shell of a human.

He needed out of this house while he could.

Neji packed up the little things he needed, toothbrush, a brush, deodorant, and shoved them into the bag. He pulled the strap back over his shoulder and handled the books in his arms. He had already called Shikamaru a few minutes ago, telling him to wait where he dropped him off Friday.

"I'm leaving," he called out to the house as he left his room. He heard his sisters yell 'bye' from their room. He walked down the hall, glancing to his right into the kitchen. She was still sitting there. He didn't have to say anything to her, but it was worth a shot. "I'm leaving." Her pale eyes rolled up toward him for a brief second, falling back down to the floor. _Hopeless_.

Neji walked to the door, pulled on his shoes, and shut the door behind him.

x - o

"I fixed the door," Shikamaru proudly told Neji, pointing at the bronze item that now adorned the door. A sliding door lock. Just a tiny sliver of metal to hold a swinging door in. Neji couldn't decided whether it was a creative, genius fix or just idiocy at its finest. When Neji said nothing, Shikamaru stepped in front and undid the lock. The door swung open and he bowed in a formal manner. "Your chariot awaits, sir."

Neji rolled his eyes, but stepped in, door shut behind him. Shikamaru closed the lock and walked to the back seat, opening the door, crawling in, shutting that door, and climbing up to the driver's seat. _All that work for a hunk of rusted metal._ He stuck the keys into the ignition and started up the car. As Shikamaru put on the headlights, he suggested, "You might still want to put on the bungee cords. Precaution." _Right._ The car pulled out of its spot and made a U-turn in the middle of the road, heading in the opposite direction of his house.

The brunet sunk into the seat, the books acting as an extra weight as to not fly out of the car. Lock or not, the door beside him was instantaneous road rash and broken _something_. As Shikamaru made a left onto 'Poppyseed Circle,' the hard corners of his books stabbed Neji in the thigh. "Shit!" He yelped.

Shikamaru glanced to Neji and back onto the road, asking, "What happened?"

"Fucking books," he said, lifting them from his leg. He re-adjusted them on both his legs with them going long ways across his lap. "Corners in my leg." _God, that freaking hurt._

The ponytailed boy tried not to laugh, though it was clear he wanted to. He just squeezed out a little 'sorry' and snorted. Neji hit him in the shoulder, not hard enough to swerve on the road. Shikamaru made a little whine upon impact, like a little kid trying to get on a carnival ride he's too short for. "Hey, what's that book on top?" Shikamaru asked, coming up to a stop sign.

The car slowed to a halt, giving Neji a chance to look at the books. Right on top was the colorful book that Gaara had given him. When he was taking things out of his bag for his clothes, he probably took it with his textbooks. "Oh, Gaara gave me this."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "He talked to you?"

"I guess he tried. I sort of snapped at him... again."

"Again?"

Neji sighed. "I let my anger get the best of me sometimes." He looked down at the book and said, "Before he ran off, he shoved this thing at me. I don't even know what the front says." He ran his thumb over the markered title, tracing the symbols in an attempt to jog his memory. Nothing. "You wouldn't happen to read Japanese, would you?" The brunet asked with little enthusiasm. The chance of it was slim.

Shikamaru still hadn't pulled off from the stop sign. He just put the car in park and rubbed the side of his head. "I don't know. I guess I could give it a shot."

_Better than nothing._ Neji handed the book over to Shikamaru, being careful not to bend the corners. The ponytailed boy cradled it just as carefully, laying it down on top of the center console as a makeshift desk. He pointed at the first letter, mumbling to himself, "It kind of looks like 'ko,' but this has little checks next to it."

Neji undid his seatbelt and leaned over, looking at the character. He guessed, "Could be a poorly drawn 'hi'?"

"'Hi' doesn't look like that."

"Yeah, I know, that's why I said it could be poorly drawn."

"Neji, you realize this is hirigana, not kanji, right?"

"...Oh." _Well, that explains why I couldn't understand it well. My hirigana is crap._ He rolled his eyes. _So much so that I can't distinguish obvious hirigana from freaking kanji. I need to study._

"Whatever," Shikamaru said. "We'll just move onto the next character." His finger trailed over to the right. "Uhm... I think this is 'me.' So we got something with an 'o,' 'me,' aaanndd-" His moved his finger to the last character. He opened his mouth to say something, but was caught off by several loud honks. They both jumped and looked back behind them. There was a large truck, obviously waiting for Shikamaru to get a move on. He turned back to the wheel and put the car in drive. "Shit. Forgot we were at a stop sign, we'll pull over by Kiba's, alright?"

Neji refastened his seatbelt and agreed. _At least the message is short._ The truck stayed on their tail for the rest of the short drive. After another turn on a road called 'Appleseed Street,' Shikamaru flicked his turn signal to pull over to the side. The truck sped off right past them as they tried to park. "Fucking asshole," Shikamaru grumbled, parking along the curb. He shook his head and looked back to Neji. "Wanna finish it up?"

He nodded and put the book back on the console. Shikamaru undid his seatbelt and refocused on the title. He pointed at the last character, asking, "Do you know which character looks like an upside down, fancy 'y?'"

"I mistook the first one as a kanji symbol, are you really trusting my hirigana skills?"

Shikamaru sighed. "True." He leaned against the seat in thought. It was more than Neji could do. He felt like a kid all over again when his grandparents tried to teach Hinata and him to read and write in Japanese. He couldn't remember anything, so he'd blankly stare at the paper with his little fountain pen. By the end of the lesson, he spent more time doodling cartoons than writing anything. The characters he _could_ remember were because they look ridiculously stupid or it reminded him of something else. And-

_And... _Neji thought of something. Something familiar sparked in his head. Something about the word 'and.' _And... and..._ Something that sounded like it, like, _end. End... end... 'N'... N! _Of course, the stupid rhyme he came up for the hirigana was 'n.' '_Y, and, end, n_,' 'y' representing the Spanish word for 'and.'

"It's an 'n!'" Neji told Shikamaru. He pointed at the character, repeating, "'Y', and, end, 'n.' It's an 'n!'" The ponytailed boy just blinked and stared at Neji. He was lost. Neji didn't blame him. "Just trust me, okay?"

"With enthusiasm like that, how could I not?" Shikamaru smoothed over the front cover and recited, "We have 'something-o,' 'me,' and apparently 'n.' Something-omen."

"_Homen_?" Neji guessed, although he felt like that was a place rather than a word.

Shikamaru had the same thought when he asked, "Isn't that a mountain or something?"

Neji began to rattle off a few potential words, not wanting to nitpick one at a time. "_Komen, tomen, nomen, somen-_"

"Three of those words are not real and one of those is a type of ramen," Shikamaru interrupted.

"_Momen, yomen, romen, women-"_

"All of those don't make sense and are not actual Japanese words."

Neji shrugged and said, "I don't know, I'm just shoving letters in fron-."

Shikamaru held his hand up to stop Neji, staring at the paper like he figured something out. "Fuck, we're both out of practice. Those two little checks, those are the muddied characters." He quickly mumbled a few of them too low for Neji to hear, but said, "The only one that makes sense out of them is..." Shikamaru paused, face contorting in some unrecognizable expression.

"Neji..." Shikamaru asked in a surprisingly softer voice than before. "Is this written anywhere else in here?"

Neji nodded, telling him, "Every single page."

"_Gomen(6)_."

The brunet raised an eyebrow. "What are you sorry for?"

"No," Shikamaru shook his head. He pointed at the each of the characters, saying them out loud, "_Go_-_me_-_n_."

_Seriously?_ Neji thought, looking at the curvy characters. _So... he did make this for me... so, he really meant 'sorry?'_ "Fucking hell," the brunet groaned, bringing his face down to his hands on his book-covered lap. He was an idiot. An insensitive idiot because he didn't believe Gaara. Because Gaara went out of his way to personally collect these pictures and random lines of poetry in a nice book with a laminated cover page. "I should have of listened," he mumbled into the math book.

"Listened to what?" The ponytailed boy beside him asked.

"Gaara, when he was apologizing."

Shikamaru's head jerked up from the book. "He... _apologized_?" Neji nodded, arm suddenly grabbed by the other boy. He pulled at it, saying, "Gaara doesn't apologize. He _never_ apologizes. He hit me in the back of the head with a softball in gym class when we were friends and he just said, 'Didn't mean for that to happen.' Do you even have a clue how monumental this shit is?"

"With enthusiasm like that, how could you be lying?" He repeated Shikamaru's words back to him, though the other boy did not smile like Neji thought he would.

He shook his head and said, "I'm dropping you off at Gaara's."

Shikamaru was already putting the car back into drive and pulling out of the spot when Neji asked, "Wait, why?"

"You two need to talk," he told him, making a U-turn on the road to head back to Poppyseed Circle.

Neji leaned toward the center, still skeptical of the whimsy door lock holding the door in place. The book slid off the console and onto his lap. "But what abo-?"

He was cut off with, "Fuck the sleep over. You need to settle shit right now. Gaara wouldn't apologize unless he has a _damn _good reason."

"...He told me that he was being immature and was sorry for ignoring me when _I _was trying to apologize..."

Shikamaru's mouth shifted to the side as if he was trying to make sense of Neji's words. He pulled up to a stop sign getting back on the main road and flicked his turn signal right. "That's... unsual, but I guess that means he likes you then."

Neji shook his head. That didn't make sense. Gaara had liked Shikamaru and that Naruto kid before and he never apologized to them, so what made Neji special? He voiced his thoughts, "He never apologized to you when you were friends."

The ponytailed boy pulled out from the sign and waved his hand at Neji. "Look, don't look so deep into it, okay? Accept it as the gift it is."

"What gift?"

"The gift of that brat actually wanting to be your friend." He mumbled something under his breath after, not that he wanted to repeat it when Neji asked him 'what did you say?'

Neji brushed his hand over the cover of the book. Three characters that meant 'sorry.' _Just fucking unbelievable._

The car eventually made it way to Gaara's taking another turn to the left. They pulled up to the front of the house, into the driveway. A big gate blocked it off, though Neji finally got that view of the lavish front of the house he expected. Pristine, green lawn, manicured bushes trailing along the front right of the house, and a big porch up front with a swinging bench. He was able to see a few potted plants on the porch, but just barely. The windows were similar to the ones in the back. Tall windows with curtains blocking them off, but no walk out balconies. Just as beautiful in the front as in the back.

_Do I have to?_

"Yes, you do," Shikamaru answered. Neji didn't even realize he said that out loud. The ponytailed boy rolled down the window (something Neji was surprised that car was still able to do) and reached out to a little calculator-looking machine post before the gate. He pressed in a few numbers and with a beep, the gate began to slowly open inward. Shikamaru looked at Neji and asked, "So, are you ready?"

x - o

_Not ready. Not ready at all._ He thought this the entire time.

As Shikamaru left Neji at the front door, the rust bucket fading behind the trees, down the road.

As the front door opened with Temari smiling and sending him up to Gaara's with directions.

As he passed Kankuro on the second floor staircase, wishing him luck.

As he stepped onto the third floor and headed right, all the way to the end of that hallway, just like Kankuro's room.

And as his hand gently rapped on the door. He felt like shit, he felt like an awful person, and he just... he couldn't leave now. Not when he heard the sound of feet walking up to the door. He watched it open all the way, revealing the little redhead, still dressed in his gray sweater. His hair was messed up, more so than usual, like he had just been lying in bed. Had Neji woken him up with his knock? He did look a little cranky. _He always looks that way._ His head also added, _You also did yell at him when he tried to apologize._

Gaara leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms, still staring up at Neji. He said nothing. It didn't matter. Neji knew he'd have to speak first this time.

He took a deep breath and started off with, "Hey... I, uh, wanted to say sorry." He quickly added, "For earlier! When I was freaking out at you. Uh..." Neji re-adjusted the books in his arms. "Just understand, it caught me way off guard. But also, I want to thank you for this book." He gently wiggled the book to emphasize his point. "It's really nice and I'm sorry for what I said before. You're not a freak, just different, but a good different." Neji cleared his throat. "And I forgive you," he finished.

Neji tried to check for any indication of approval of his apology from Gaara. He remained as passive as ever, blue eyes staring straight through him as if he had said nothing at all. He forgot, Gaara didn't show much expression to begin with. Those eyes travelled down to his hip, resting on the overstuffed messenger bag. Neji wondered if Gaara would ask about it.

"Neji," Gaara finally spoke. The brunet looked down at him, watching the change of body position. His arms uncurled, one resting on his side, one hand touching the door frame. It fidgeted against it, one nail scratching at the chipped paint. The blue eyes shyed away from Neji's pale ones. He quietly asked, "Do you... want to stay the night?"

xoxo

"Yeah," the brunet in front of him answered. A little smile spread on his face. "I'd like to."

Gaara stepped aside, letting Neji into his private little world.

* * *

><p>1) Bugles: Those little horn-looking corn chips. People wear them on their fingers to look like clawswitches.

2) Hooptie: Slang for a _really_ messed up car. Note the various examples of Shikamaru's car.

3) _Tonkotsu:_ Pork-based type of ramen.

4) _Unagi: _Fried eel

5) _Shoyu:_ Chicken/veggie-based type of ramen.

6.) _Gomen:_ Japanese for 'sorry.' (The formal being 'gomen nasai').

7.) Hotboxing: Trapping smoke (usually weed) in an air-sealed room/car for a stronger high.

**A/N**: THIS CHAPTER IS COMPLETE HOLY HELL APPRECIATE EVERY WORD OF THESE 21,000ish WORDS BECAUSE THIS WILL PROBABLY BE THE LONGEST CHAPTER I EVER DO (for this story).

Next update in somewhere between **April** to **June**. Reviews are nice.

pirouetting


	12. Used To Be

**A/N**: This chapter isn't as IMMENSELY long as the last chapter since that one wore me out. Truth be told, I'm a little sad that I only got a few comments on it, but I get it. Not everyone is a commenter and not everyone may have liked it, but at least I know people read it and that still makes me feel good.

To my Anonymous reviewers:

**Bartholomew**: I'm _sooooo_ glad you enjoy my story and the writing style and the characters :) I want my characters to have a bit of depth because they tend to wind up in and out of our main character's lives, plus it helps pull out more life of your main character when interacting with them. Also Neji's sudden swearing is more of an expression of his frustration for the past week of like, dealing with the Gaara dilemma. He'll mellow out, don't worry. And kudos for loving Beach House. I need a IRL Beach House best friend because I have no one to declare my undying love of them to. LETS BE BEST FRIENDS FOREVER ANONYMOUS REVIEWER

**TooLazyToLogin**: First of all, your name is great and I agree with it whole-heartedly. Some days, I gotta just get on the anonymous comment kick, especially in a rush. And I'm really glad to know you enjoy my interpretation of Gaara. He's definitely a challenging character to peg down and I'm still working on him as the story progresses. He had to develop as the story develops, you know? At some point, the entire story and characters will get a revamp since the first few chapters are sort of murky and meh, until then, I'm happy you love the story.

* * *

><p><span>Used to Be<span>

Gaara was counting the years in his head. One single year, two years... a total of three, almost four years since anyone besides family (and Deidara) had stepped into his room. He designated his room as his sanctuary, untouched by the filth of others' fingers, untarnished by their negative spirits if he had to be more poetic about it. He used to have a childish sign that said 'Keep out' on the door, but he took it down when Kankuro never failed to _not_ abide by it, much like this afternoon. The redhead felt a sliver of nervousness when he saw Neji's feet sink into the carpet. He willingly allowed Neji to trespass into the sanctuary, yet he was not sure if this was the right decision.

But he apologized and Gaara forgave. Gaara apologized and Neji forgave. Everything was okay. Everything was... normal?

_What's 'normal' with us anyway?_

xoxo

Neji's feet sunk into the floor like with the carpet of the main staircase. It was a plush purple carpet he wiggled his sock-covered toes into. Neji was apt to make a joke about royal purple, but he wasn't going to call Gaara a 'princess' after the hellish week and argument they had. When they were settled back into their strange routine, maybe he could joke about it. Maybe. Until then, he wasn't going to test the tension between the two.

Gaara pulled away from the door frame and began to shut the door, closing with a quiet click. That was the finite sound that made him realize he'd be staying the night with Gaara. Nowhere to run. He jumped when he felt bag hanging off of him slightly swing. He glanced and saw Gaara tapping the zipper of the top pocket. His eyes were staring off as he mumbled, "Put it down."

The brunet nodded and pulled the strap over his head, balancing the heavier books with one arm. He let the bag drop to the floor as Gaara reached for the books in his hold. He let him take them, watching him stroll over to the left of the room to an amethyst bureau. The top was filled with lots of little trinkets like miniature troll dolls and figurines that looked like they belonged on birthday cakes. He pushed several of them to the side to make room for the books, pressing the top edges against a black jewelry box. Neji never seen Gaara wear necklaces or bracelets before, so he guessed it was filled with other tiny things.

Neji stepped further into the room, his movements catching Gaara's attention. The redhead turned back to him and took his hands off the books, watching Neji now. It was a bit nerve wrecking. This wasn't neutral ground like the Majestic Forest where Neji had freedom to roam wherever. He was in Gaara's land. The brunet pretended the boy wasn't looking at him and walked into the middle of the room. Dead in front of him was a large bed covered in a red velvet sheet. It matched the thick curtains that blocked the windows. Neji assumed they were huge, just like the other rooms from outside the house. He stepped up to the edge of the bed, touching it with the tips of his fingers. _Soft._

"Sit," he heard a raspy voice tell him.

It was an order he was alright with listening to. Neji let himself plop onto the sloppily made bed. Like the carpet, he felt his butt sink into the mattress. He couldn't tell if it was just a memory foam bed padding or the mattress itself. If he leaned back, he was sure that he would just fall asleep in a blink of an eye. "Your bed is like a marshmallow," Neji said out loud, pressing his hands into the bed as another test. They too sunk into its red softness.

"Is that bad?" Gaara asked. Neji saw the gray blob move in closer into his periphery.

Neji shook his head, giving in a little to his want of laying down. He propped his elbows back, half sitting down and half lying. _Just a little bit more._ "No. It's pretty nice actually."

The redhead's blob started to clear up as he came closer to Neji. He thought very little of it. He assumed Gaara was going to sit on the bed too since the only other chair was by the desk by the door. He didn't guess he would be staring at some black-jeanned thighs standing in between his hanging legs. Neji blinked and glanced up at the redhead. He was unreadable, staring down at Neji until he stated, "The sheets are nice."

"Y-yeah... they are," Neji uncomfortably replied, eyes averting themselves from Gaara. For someone who didn't like being touched, he was standing pretty close. He felt the bed shift by his legs and quickly looked down. Or rather up.

In one movement, Gaara pressed his knee in the gap of mattress between his legs and pushed Neji down to fully lie. The boy hovered above him, no body part touching except for the small, frail hand holding Neji's chest down. It made him think back to one of their first times hanging out, how Gaara touched his ribs, how warm and soft his hands felt ghosting along his skin. If he focused on that hand long enough, he could probably feel it as if there wasn't a piece of fabric separating the touch.

Neji's eyes automatically tried to find something else to stare at, becoming uneasy with his thoughts, but all there was Gaara. Those blue eyes were close enough to block off everything else. Nothing to concentrate on but those two seas of cyan chilling through him.

_Maybe I_... He felt the hand resting on his stomach slowly lift up, but withdrew it when Gaara asked, "Want to know my favorite part?"

Neji's mouth felt dry. "About what?" He dumbly asked.

"The bed." If that answer was just an octave lower, Neji would have the wrong idea entirely. The brunet just nodded and waited for Gaara's next move. The barest of smile showed on the redhead's mouth, suddenly rolling off of him.

Now he knew why Gaara had put himself so close to Neji. He was blocking Neji's view from the ceiling, a giant collage like the book he had given him. He didn't even know where to start looking. There were pictures of flowers entwining with glittery stars and Lisa Frank stickers, morphing into a faux jungle of fake flowers and leaves that were duct taped to the ceiling. Poorly scribbled pictures of animals on lined paper were stuck up with what looked like grape gum with a frame of twigs, also duct taped up. The more his eyes moved, the more details he caught. There was one part that looked like he ripped pictures from a medical journal. There were skeletal illustrations surrounded with random cut out words like 'aorta,' 'tibia,' and 'glandular' that too faded into another collection of pictures. Spiders, insects. They were in a straight line, eventually pointing up to the corner to the right by the bed. There was a bundle of stretched out yarn, tangled with one another like the rope maze in the Majestic Forest. It looked just like a very large cobweb.

"Wow," was the only thing Neji could sum up his thoughts with.

His eyes followed a trail of glow in the dark stars and tiny hanging seashells when he heard Gaara murmur, "Amazing."

xoxo

Gaara liked body parts. Not bodies, just the separate portions themselves. He loved bones, the way they looked poking out from under the skin, the unique shapes that they grew in. His favorite bone was the temporal bone, the bone generally around where the ear lies. It extends a bit into the face and a little past the ear, but its shape is just so great. A very underrated bone. Or the coccyx, the bone between your pelvis, but in the back of your body, known as the 'tailbone.' Gaara thought of it as a creepy pine cone. It's what it looks like anyway. But it was a creepy pine cone he too liked, but not one you could look at on someone without them insinuating you were checking out their rear.

Bones were Gaara's favorite body parts, but they're others he enjoyed. He liked hands. Like faces, they have so much variety in their positions that could express numerous feelings and actions. By the angle of a finger, you go from casually reading to flipping someone off. The bent of the wrist could make the difference between waving hello and motioning someone to calm or slow down. The littlest things mean so much. Gaara unfortunately knew this was one of his reasons for his 'sweater in the hand' habit. Like with faces, hands could give so much away. A mad fist, an annoyed finger rub, a sad scratch of the palm. Most people don't look for those details, but Gaara did, at least with Neji. He was too easy to read.

Speaking of the brunet, he had come to like something else about the human body, the eyes. Time and time again, Gaara found himself admiring the white eyes the boy had. It would have been amazing if only he had those eyes, but the brunet's family seemed to share the same trait. The redhead didn't like those eyes on the blue haired girl. They were petrified by the mere sight of Gaara at the door. The moon has nothing to fear. It shouldn't show fear. It has great power. It influences human behavior, it's obeyed by the fictional werewolves, it has power over the tides of the ocean. To fear would be disrespectful to the actual moon itself.

Neji's moons, they had power. Even as he laid under Gaara's hold, submerged in that cowardly sheep fur he wore was something strong, but maybe something hurt too. He remembered that girl at the door and that crash and yell. Was that why he was a coward? Those noises?

"Want to know my favorite part?"

The white eyes blinked and asked, "About what?"

"The bed," he replied, being careful not to move out of the way yet. He scanned over Neji's face, watching the bones in his face shift as he nodded. _Zygomatic bone, the cheekbones_. He had a nice pair under his thin skin.

After he revealed his pretend sky to Neji, he too got lost in his world, falling into the ocean poster of cats and donuts that covered up the original dolphins. _Catfish_, he thought of, close to smiling at the stupid idea of a real cat with a fish body. He would rather deal with the whiskered catfish of the real world, but a donut-fish would be amusing. A new version of the starfish that stuck onto the walls of aquariums with its melting icing. A vanilla-iced donut-fish. That's the type of aquarium he would have, with spider-shrimps and a funny looking moose-shark. The moose-shark would be like a hammerhead shark, only with the antlers on either side of its head, eyes in the front. The ugliest, but most curious looking creatures would be in his aquarium, that's for sure. And if it was possible, he'd add colored lights, just like the water fountain in town.

Why did his temperature seem to rise when he thought back to it? He just tried to apply it to his imaginary aquarium above him. It was the water heater, that's all. That red crab in the corner of the tank didn't appreciate it though. It was too warm, uncomfortable on his exoskeleton. It stayed hidden from the strange creatures around him, especially that moose-shark that looked at him like his next meal. Moose-sharks were aggressive and were not afraid to strike when hungry. The red crab wasn't interested in becoming the next meal. He continued to hide behind some orange coral in hopes of staying safe and uneaten.

After several minutes of hiding, it checked from behind the coral, seeing nothing but the donut-fish and its icing melting down the glass pane. It was too warm for that fish also. A flicker of silver whisked past the crab's eyes. It jumped and hid again instinctively. Sudden movements were not advised around the skittish crab. When it chose to peer out from its hiding spot, there was the angelfish floating near him. The crab was a little confused. Why wasn't it with the other fishes on the other side of the tank? Those were the ones he wanted to be with.

The angelfish swam in a little closer, holding out its long, skinny fin. The crab looked from the fin up to the angelfish. Why? Did it want to dance like they had in the past? The crab swore that it would be the only time the angelfish would approach him. Why would he want to be with the red crab? All he did was hide and keep to himself. There was nothing interesting about him. The same skinny fin held itself out, waiting for the claw to rest on his fin. That was the thing though. The crab, as nice as it was to have his claw in another's fin, wanted to hold the fin. But he would crush it. The angelfish had to know this. But maybe... _maybe he_...

xoxo

Neji felt fingers touch his wrist of the hand resting on his stomach, one finger circling that one bone that stuck out the most. The touch was so bare it tickled. He didn't giggle though, he kept quiet, allowing the redhead to do as he wished. The brunet wasn't sure where all this body contact was coming from. He supposed Gaara above him made sense to keep him from seeing the marvelous ceiling, but touching his wrist? He was a peculiar boy.

Those same fingers followed the trail of the bones of his fingers, reaching his knobby knuckles. Thankfully Gaara was only touching his left hand. His right hand was still wrapped up, damaged. If he touched those knuckles, Neji would have pulled away immediately. He felt the fingertips trace the knuckles and slip further down his hand, grazing over his slender fingers. And still, the touch was so minimal that he could barely feel it, just the heat of his hands working themselves onto his own. As the redhead carefully cradled Neji's fingers in his palm, Neji decided to chance it and glanced to his left at the boy.

Gaara's eyes were on the ceiling, cheeks just the fairest blush of pink, but he brought Neji's hand down to the soft texture of the velvet sheets and held his hand, palm to palm, fingers wrapped around the side. Neji quickly looked back at the ceiling, though his mind was entirely focused on that hand. The knit cotton of Gaara's sweater sleeve was right against his wrist, brushing against the bottom of his thumb. If it wasn't there, they'd also be wrist to wrist since his jacket sleeve was pushed up.

Neji had questions in his head, ones that he wasn't going to ask out loud, ones that he didn't even want to acknowledge as his own. Embarrassing, worrisome. He stayed quiet, listening to the redhead's soft breathing and the ripples of paper above them. They were holding hands. What was going to happen from here?

xoxo

_Harnate or pisiform bone_? Gaara couldn't remember which one was the bone that stuck out from the wrist, but he liked that bone too. He liked Neji's. It looked like a small hard ball under his skin with the slightest indent in the front. It curved into the rest of his hand like a miniature hill. He recalled the few bones he remembered on the way down the hand, but soon spaced back into his daydream.

The red crab opened its claw carefully, shuffling forward to close his and the fish's space. He stuck out the pale-ish organ out and carefully held it over and under the white fin. As slowly as he could, he began to close the claw. The last thing he needed was to crush the poor fin or cut it off completely. When it shut enough to fill the smooth surface of the fin, the crab stopped. It took a lot of self control to not shut the pincer all the way, but he had done it. He held the fin. It made him happier when the fish too wrapped its fin around its gritty claw. They were holding limbs. What was going to happen from here?

xoxo

After several minutes of silence, staring at the ceiling and not commenting on their... hands, Neji decided to speak up. The corners of his mouth twitched into a slight smile, testing the waters with, "Your ceiling is really cool."

"...Thanks," was the quiet reply.

Neji breathed a little heavier. What was he expecting? Gaara wasn't going to open up over a compliment. He decided to pursue the topic though, partially curious about this big collage's origins. "How long did it take to make it?"

"Awhile."

Neji immediately rolled his eyes. _I see we're sparing no expense with your word use, huh, Gaara?_ "Do the pieces ever fall down?"

"Yes."

"Ever been hit by one?"

"...Yes."

Neji snorted, briefly imagining a redhead suddenly smacked in the face with a random item from up above. "Maybe you shouldn't tape branches to the ceiling then," he jested, unintentionally squeezing the hand in his. There was no reply from Gaara, but his hand froze up in his hold. The smirk Neji wore faded, unsure about their current position. Maybe he didn't want to be... like this now? Neji loosened his hold as a sign that the redhead had free reign to take his hand back, but it didn't happen. The hand stayed put and so did that silence.

"..."

_He must be spacing off or really hates talking,_ Neji thought, eyes traveling back to the yarn noticed there were fake bugs trapped in it, yarn wrapped around their bodies like real insects. For an art project, it was pretty intricate_._

"..." Still nothing from Gaara. This was getting awkward. Neji was okay with peace and quiet when the moment called for it, but if they were going to stay this quiet, they might as well be hanging out in a library. Neji was about ready to give into his eyelids urge to shut, but the redhead finally spoke up. "...Hungry?"

"Uh, yeah. How'd you know?"

"Your stomach just growled."

"Oh..."

Their hands separated as Gaara sat up. "Lets go."

xoxo

Gaara began to regret taking Neji downstairs. With each step down, he began to imagine the annoyances that could occur from this, regarding mainly his siblings. Dinner with the two was often the most important test of Gaara's self control. Kankuro and Temari could push the redhead to a point that he would be a micro-second away from raising his voice or space him out enough with boring conversation that he could accidentally chew into a solid food. It was like his siblings had it down to a science.

However, Gaara knew how to get by the foods Temari tried to get him to consume. Sucked around the meats until they were soft enough to just swallow, anything dry and hard would just be cut down to its smallest form and followed down with a large gulp of juice, and the bad-tasting food would just be pushed to the side. Temari would try to argue with Gaara. Gaara would remain silent. After a four minute rant about proper nutrition, the food would be cold and would be tossed out. Temari did not believe in microwave re-heating. But this would be on a good night when Temari and Kankuro were wrapped up in their own world and not focusing on Gaara's.

And he hated when it was all about him. He had grown accustomed to their ever-watching eyes for every spoonful of soup and every stab of the fork to meatloaf. And when they weren't overly concerned about his diet, they tossed in their two-cents about his behavior, or actually just Temari would. Kankuro dragged Gaara along with his friends from time to time, so he would leave him alone, but they would tag-team. 'Gaara, aren't you in your room too much?' 'Gaara, did you skip school again?' 'Gaara, if there's something bothering you, you can talk to us.' Gaara this, Gaara that. Gaara, _just shut up!_

And worst of all, when they weren't being that annoyance they call 'protective,' they were truly annoying to the definition. Tried to joke around, tried to make Gaara smile with about a three percent success rate. When they failed with that, they would go back and forth with raunchy jokes and inside jokes from when they were kids when Gaara was too small to understand. Gaara hated dinner time. However, with Neji as their 'guest,' the focus would off of him for the night. _Hope he can fend for himself._

Since his father was working, they didn't have to sit at the big dining room table. They all stayed in the kitchen, sitting at the blue island with white plates in front of them. To Gaara's surprise, neither Temari or Kankuro acted up. They just said 'hello' to Neji and continued setting up the table with utensils, napkins, and plates. The brunet said 'hey' and sat up on a stool with Gaara following suit. He knew it wouldn't last long though. They were going to be polite up until they got food onto their plates, then they would unleash their curiosities on both of the boys.

As the two siblings finished fixing the table, they carried over the meal plates. A heaping bowl of mashed potatoes with a gravy boat, smoked ham glazed with something that smelled incredibly sweet, some spinach, romaine, and string bean salad, and a small bowl of cherry tomatoes, usually the cleansing palate between foods that Gaara did not mind. All in all a tolerable meal, though Gaara saw through the glazed ham. Much like the chocolate chip waffles, it was just another attempt to get him to eat the foods he did not want to eat.

His blond-haired sister clapped her hands together and said, "Dig in, boys."

Not another word was needed. Kankuro practically dumped the largest spoonful of mashed potatoes he could onto his plate before pushing the bowl to Neji. The brunet sheepishly smiled and placed a moderate amount before passing it to Gaara. The redhead took a single spoonful and placed it back in front of Temari. All the bowls went around the table once and everyone began to eat. That's when the trouble started.

xoxo

Kankuro raised an eyebrow as he shoved some mashed potatoes in his mouth. So, it was a little weird to see the Neji kid sitting at dinner. It was weirder that Gaara was even allowing this. He hated people, it was sort of his thing. And the weirdest weird thing had to be that after the apparent cold shoulder Gaara was giving the guy the past week, they seemed to make up enough to actually have the guy stay the night. Just... weird.

You know, he was wondering why Gaara was suddenly apt to riding with him to school. The brat didn't like riding with Kankuro, but when he was almost out the driveway, he'd see the schlumpy-sweatered redhead pop up in the rearview mirror, quickly shuffling before the gates closed to hop in. He almost asked 'why' the first time Gaara did it and instead changed his mind. Gaara probably wouldn't answer anyway.

_He's been keeping to himself even more than usual._ Kankuro's eyes drifted toward his little brother. The brat was scrapping the ham with the knife, fork in place to look like he was trying to cut it. The meat wasn't tough, it was pretty soft, but not soft enough for Gaara. He looked over to the brunet who quietly cut the meat into small pieces, politely bringing it to his mouth rather than ravishing it like Kankuro was. _He might know why..._

xoxo

"How did you two like, even start talking to each other?" Temari heard Kankuro ask. She looked up from her food to the middle child, noticing the question was more towards Neji. She too had been wondering how it happened, but unlike him, she was fine with leaving it as is. With Gaara's temperament, she would receive no answers, just a blank 'none of your business' stare before he would leave. She was happy he had a friend and that was the end of it.

The brunet boy stopped chewing and swallowed, eyes quickly flickering over to Gaara. The redhead just shrugged and went back to the food he was pretending to eat. He wouldn't be joining the conversation.

"Uhm, I, uh, sat next to him on the bus on my first day," Neji began. "Then found out we have the same English class, so yeah." He glanced back to Gaara whom continued to prod at the food. Still no response. _Typical._

xoxo

Neji hated being put on the spot. It's not like he could be honest about the way they met. 'Oh, I was just hanging out in the forest in the middle of a school day and met your brother when he was skipping and we decorated trees together.' So stupid. _It sounds pretty stupid too_, he thought.

Kankuro nodded and jammed a fat spoonful of potatoes into his mouth. He started to ask something else, but Temari interrupted, scolding, "Don't talk with your mouth full, moron."

"_Don't talk with your mouth full, moron,_" Kankuro mocked, muffled by the mountain of mashed potatoes. He crossed his eyes and managed to prod his tongue through the potatoes, laughing as Temari tried to scold him again. He merely waved her off and swallowed, quickly saying, "Same class, eh? Finally some use for them advanced classes he got."

"What's so advanced about extra essays?" Neji questioned. It was basically the only difference between normal English class and his and Gaara's college prep course.

The boy shook his head and said, "It's double the workload that a junior should be having."

Glazed ham almost skidded into his lung pipe, setting off a hassled struggle of a cough. Kankuro reached over to pat Neji on the back, but it was a useless action as Neji had already diverted it back to the proper pipe. Kankuro asked if Neji was okay and he nodded. It was a new fact he hadn't expected. Gaara was a junior, which meant he was younger than Neji, which meant-

He turned toward the redhead and quietly asked, "How old are you?"

"...Fifteen," was the almost silent answer back.

_Fifteen? How is a junior in the first place at fifteen?_

"Yeah, brat's turning sixteen next month though," Kankuro threw in. He nodded and took a bite of the ham, saying, "We usually have a big party and shit."

The brunet was a bit perplexed. For one thing, he wasn't understanding the age thing. Most of the time, freshmen were fourteen, sophomores were fifteen, juniors at sixteen. He might be turning sixteen in November, but that means he was thirteen as a freshman. How did he make it past the age cut off as a kindergartner? _Maybe he just skipped a grade... maybe his father just pulled some strings. Mayorial power of the educational system._ And secondly, a big party? From what he's witnessed and has been told, Gaara doesn't have friends. He doesn't talk to others, no one speaks to him, and the closest he has is the Naruto kid following him and whatever little relationship he could potentially have with Shikamaru after their falling out. Who were the people attending, close family and friends?

Neji put on a fake smile and just nodded, worried that if he spoke out loud, his questions would just slip out of his mouth. The brunet began to chew on some of the salad, answering more basic questions about himself like his age and where he was from, but then one question put him on the edge.

"So," Temari started with a kind smile. "What made you come out here to Sunaville?"

x - o

Neji's stomach sounded like a dying bear, but there was no food. None in the cabinets, shelves, or fridge. It was barren except for the morsels of crumbs, but Hinata might have licked it clean from the countertops, who knew? Dad spent everything for the week on the colorful bottles stacked in the corner of the living room. It would be another two days before he received his disability check, so another two days, he had to bear with the bear in his stomach.

Thankfully Hanabi was spending the weekend with their grandparents, leaving only Neji and Hinata to deal with the consequences of their father's drinking problem. And even though Neji and Hinata together sounded like a zoo, never once did his Mother's stomach growl. She was basically dead on the couch, staring at the ceiling with no complaints or concerns. Just like always.

As the weeks passed, this became a routine. Daddy buys and buys for himself with Mommy having the leftovers to feed the children. The food gone by Friday for two days of starvation. Neji would try to go over to Akago's, but he was never home anymore. From the strung out look of his dad, he knew why. He would come back to their disgusting apartment and crawl into bed, able to hear the fighting through the paper thin walls. Hinata would make a sound that was similar to a sob with her face buried in the pillow in the corner of their room. He could barely make out the song Hanabi would be quietly singing on the other side of the room. Any tune, anything to distract herself from it, and as for Neji, he would just listen to it all. The yelling, the crying, the singing. There was nothing that could take him away from the reality echoing in his ear drums. Misery, point blank.

The summer was a blur of not so nice physical neglect of his own body, wasting away with Akago and the rowdy group he was hanging out with. Late nights of partying in run down townhouses on the outskirts of the city was their main activity. Between the cheap strobe lighting and unnecessary glitter and confetti on the floors, Neji would make nice with whoever had hold of some weed and just relax in a circle with several other people. His mind would wonder off like he was a feather in the wind. Disappearing into the sky, leaving the city, leaving the United States, leaving the Earth. Gone. Into space. Into the stars. He hated himself for giving into it, but life was shit, almost to the point that he didn't even want to deal with it.

Was he becoming his father? A jaded man with little hope and little respect for himself? He was passing off his problems with drugs, like how his father erased his life with alcohol. He could vaguely remember why he was curled on the floor with a some large-breast woman, but he couldn't recall why there was a cut in the center of his lip. It felt great at first to not remember anything. There was nothing holding him back from enjoying himself at these trashy parties when his head was in the right place, focused on life now instead of the past or the future. Neji would smile at Akago and the white-haired boy would grab him by the wrist and pull him out onto the glittery floor to dance. There was nothing in his mind. He would just feel the heavy bass running through his body like a second heartbeat. Those were the nights he loved at first.

The return to home evaporated his high almost immediately. The pile of bottles were larger, mother's neck littered with cigarette burns, and just from the doorway, he could hear the sobs of his littlest sister. Guilt riddled him. This partying habit was taking him away from where he needed to be, protecting the young. Hinata wasn't strong enough to help Hanabi, so it was up to Neji and he hadn't been home during the times he could have helped. For weeks, he had been stumbling into the house at two in the morning or staying at whatever place Akago was crashing at that night. He was such a shit brother. He knelt by Hanabi and held her, weeping with her for his own reasons. He had to change. Things had to change. So they did, but in a way he had not been expecting.

Neji had a habit of eavesdropping on his father's phone calls. Whenever he made plans, that's when Neji made his plans to go out with Akago. In late August, there was a phone call from a blocked number. His father picked up, so Neji did too. After some cordial greetings, the conversation steered into a dark place. It was the ring that caused his father's use of his leg. Apparently, his father had been picking up tasks every so often for them and now they had the biggest task of them all for him. Sunaville. There was a house they used as a hiding place. It was a rundown piece of shit that had been originally closed down as a drug house. It had been cleaned out and was up for auction at the police station. The ring wanted the house for future business expansions, but their reputation was rather apparent in the near lying cities and towns. What they wanted was Hizashi to take the money they gave him the night before and purchase it, live there for a year, and then get the hell out. Their plans for the house was still foggy, but a year. That's what they said.

It took all of Neji's control not to scream into the phone at these assholes. They were the innocent stand-in's for the group and the family had to uproot their life in the slums into this house that he knew they wouldn't be able to afford from a month to month basis. No. That part was also covered. The ring gave him enough money for the house payments and a little extra. Neji knew where that extra would be going to. If there was ever a time he wanted to get drugged the hell up, it was then. He didn't want to remember the words his father hissed into the phone. Only once did he seem to show concern about the family and it came out in a disgusted sentence like, 'Yeah, but I have shits I take care of, so what the hell happens wit'em?'

Neji waited until the phone hung up, then he did. Neji slid down the wall in shock. Sunaville. He heard the name before, he just couldn't remember where from. They had five days to move. Even if they couldn't move into the house yet, they had to be gone. They were going to 'buy' the apartment off his father, explaining their sudden disappearance. The next morning after the conversation, their father drove to Sunaville for the auction and purchased the house. Cardboard boxes flooded their tiny apartment over the next week and they were ready to leave.

"I can't believe you're leaving," an alcohol-stained voice whispered into his ear. A rough hand slid his shirt upward and over his head, bare flesh exposed to the white-haired demon above him. He heard the clicks of the boy's lip piercings moving against his teeth as he sadly smiled. The head dipped low and pressed his cold lips against Neji's. "This was supposed to be our year," he purred, kisses coasting down his neck and chest. Teeth bit into his collarbone. "How am I going to live without you?" he half-joked, leaning his head onto Neji's warm chest.

Anger had been bubbling through Neji's veins for the past week as he put his bare, personal items into these ugly boxes. Memories were taped up. Ugly memories. Little gifts that Akago bought him after an aggressive night when he showed no mercy on Neji's thin body or photographs of nights Neji couldn't remember from whatever Akago slipped him at parties. All he knew was that he'd wake up in strange places with strange marks. Those nights disgusted him the most, yet he still couldn't bring himself to do anything to Akago. He was his best friend. A fucked up best friend.

It was the same anger that trickled into his response, "You have plenty of hussies to fuck besides me."

A little snort came from the boy, saying, "Hey now, I didn't mean like that."

"Then what the hell do you mean?" Neji snapped. He was not in the mood to play Akago's avoidance games. He was gone in less than twenty four hours, there wasn't time for the bullshit.

Akago caught the not-so friendly tone and lifted his head. He seemed taken aback by Neji's frustration. "Hey, man, I'm serious. Of course I'll miss you. We've been friends forever and now you're like, disappearing to that weird town."

Friends forever? Missing him? They were such blatant lies that Neji was surprised that his nose hadn't grown six feet long. He hadn't cared about Neji in years. They never hung out by themselves except when Akago was trying to fuck Neji. Akago was glued to those uptown burnouts and the shady assholes from downtown. Neji didn't fit into the equation until he was fucked up with the white-haired boy. If he didn't go to those parties, he wouldn't even exist in Akago's mind. They never saw each other in school either since Akago got left back, so this year that he claimed was 'theirs' was really Neji's. Akago would just be riding his privilege coattails until he graduated. Akago didn't care. He _never_ fucking cared.

He shoved the jerk off him and pulled on his shirt, spewing every thought and feeling he had since Akago's sudden party animal persona. Akago would try to get a word in, but Neji yelled even louder, on the verge of tears. He might have already been when Akago tried to reach for him and Neji was suddenly on him, giving him one punch to the face. The boy clenched his eyes shut and let out a pained groan. The brunet wanted to keep going. One punch for every time Akago hurt him, but then it wouldn't end until his eyeballs burst. When the boy finally opened his eyes, they were watery and confused.

Neji glared down at him, seeing past whatever emotion the boy was playing up. He stood up and decided to take one more shot at him for good measure. "Fucking faggot."

Anger flashed through Akago's eyes, though he made no move to pounce on Neji. He stayed to the ground. He knew when to give up. Neji gave up. This shit was over. He was gone.

The truck ride to Sunaville was a blur. He hadn't slept the night he returned home. Every thought was running through his head and it kept him up all night. Neji cut his last tie with the only friend he had left. There was nothing left in the city for him. He had to start new under the worst circumstances. Sunaville.

xoxo

Gaara watched the hands on Neji's lap fold into the tightest fists he'd ever seen on the boy. They weren't pale, they were paper white, blue veins bulging from the pressure. However he was able to manage it, none of it displayed on his face as he half-smiled and answered the question with some words that were blatantly not true. He didn't want to talk about the truth with his siblings, so Gaara was interested. _Why is he lying_?

xoxo

Dinner had ended for Gaara when he abruptly rose from his seat and fast walked to the trash can. He dumped half of his plate, pushed it across the table, and scrammed before his sister came after him. Neji and Kankuro watched the blond woman rise from her seat and scold him, chasing after him, but from the way the steps sounded, the redhead dashed up the stairs. The blond didn't pursue, but she didn't come back for her plate. Kankuro threw away the remains of her food and sat back down with Neji, getting a last scoop of mashed potatoes on his plate.

"So, we weren't interrogating you too much, were we?" Kankuro asked.

Neji curled his hands around his cup of soda and lifted it to his lips. Before his sip, he quickly mumbled, "Naw, you were fine."

The boy pulled at one of his short orange hairs and said, "Sorry about Gaara."

"What about?"

"Him... running off like that," Kankuro explained, taking a bite of the mashed potatoes. He swallowed. "He does that time to time."

It was unusual how silent the kitchen was. Although Kankuro seemed like a bright, loud personality, he was so calm now. Maybe a side effect of a food coma(1), but nonetheless, the blue kitchen was barren of life. If there was an open window, there'd be an eery gust of wind like it was a ghost town. _Little Gaara all by himself_, he remembered Kankuro's words. He understood it. This home was beautiful, but it was empty, soulless. Neji felt bad just thinking about how he or either sibling could bear with this sort of environment for years. _There's no family portraits either_, Neji thought back about the hallways he had seen. Just artwork, nothing but that little picture in the laundry room and a tiny corner table frame in Kankuro's room with what he guessed was little Deidara and a boy that looked like Gaara.

"How come?" Neji decided to ask, though he expected no answer.

Kankuro glanced up to Neji with a torn look, like he wanted to tell Neji, but not tell him either. It _was_ family business and Neji was not family, he was just a tag-along for the night. The boy's hand returned back to the orange spikes atop his head, mumbling, "Truth be told, neither of us are sure what exactly it is." His eyes fell down to his small helping of potatoes. "The biggest contender is depression with an attached eating disorder for whatever reason. He just doesn't eat anything anymore."

The carrot top pushed at the potatoes with a spoon, asking of Neji in a soft voice, "So, it might be much after whatever shit you two got through, but if you're able to at lunch, get him to eat something besides sweets. He's going to waste away before he even graduates."

Neji winced when he heard the hopeless tone floating over Kankuro's words. It was like he expected nothing to change, like Gaara was going to stay the same. Large sweaters and large lollipops for the rest of his life. If Hanabi was like Gaara, he too would fear for his sibling's life. Kankuro appeared drained, simply hopping off the chair and scrapping the leftovers into the nearest trash can with little effort. Though Neji followed suit, Kankuro quietly said 'bye' and left for the staircase. No time to ask any of the other questions in Neji's head.

He said depression, but did not explain the reasoning behind it. Neji knew that it was a chemical imbalance, but it often has a reason behind it if people suddenly change from content (the happy child Shikamaru claimed Gaara used to be) to miserable (the 'now' Gaara he met on the bus who stared at his hands the entire ten minute ride). His mind just jumped back to Neji's own first theory: the ever-so not mentioned mother figure. Who was he to assume that she was a part of anything though? Thousands upon thousands of people, situations, ideas, and emotions could have swayed him into this new personality he assumed, but it was the only tangible scrap of belief he could hold onto.

As Neji made his way back up to Gaara's, his thoughts switched back to the eating disorders. From the get go he noticed Gaara's eating habits which only pissed the redhead off immediately. He thought back to his first time he came to this house. How tight Gaara's wet t-shirt stuck to his body in the greenhouse, emphasizing the roll of spinal cord as he bent over to squeeze the water from the sweater. Just like when he caught Gaara changing in the laundry room. His ribs poked out of his ivory skin, yet when he was caught, he just mouthed off to Neji. Back when they met, he said that he couldn't _and_ chose not to eat. Dinner was evident that Gaara could eat, but he chose not to. Why was he doing this to himself in the first place?

xoxo

When Gaara heard the door creak open, he slipped the bottle of iced tea back under his bed and sat on the side of the mattress, waiting for the person to come in. The brunet stepped in, gently closing the door shut. Gaara reigned back the amusement trickling into his facial muscles. The boy was so unnerved being in his room. It was like a little puppy being brought to its new house, just sniffing everything and walking around aimlessly. When Neji appeared better adjusted to the room, he took a place back on the end of the bed away from Gaara, mumbling, "You ditched fast."

Gaara shrugged and laid his hands over his lap. "Not hungry."

"You sure about that?" The brunet countered.

The redhead turned his head to the boy, but he was staring at the door. He didn't appear combative about the subject which was appreciative. He dealt with enough of it with Kankuro and Temari. The younger boy switched focus to his small torso, feeling the inaudible rumbles in his stomach. He had grown accustomed to the grumbles like they were a normal physical trait. He would have a candy bar and some Skittles a little later on, then head down to the kitchen for a slice of cake, then Gaara would be fine. "Yes," he answered definitely. He would be perfectly fine.

Neji didn't answer back. Gaara was glad and let himself fall back on the bed. Unfortunately Neji had the same idea. They bonked heads on the way down, making Gaara jerk his neck in a weird direction. They both yelped in pain and Gaara pushed Neji's head away from his as he tried to sit up. There was already a throb in his neck muscle, focusing on the tension rather than Neji's frantic apologies. He tried to turn his head and felt a pull. _Great. I won't be able to turn my head tomorrow._

Since his neck felt bad, he had to turn full body to Neji, the brunet with concern written all over his face. "Are you okay?" He asked, his own hand resting on the side of his head.

He lied, "Yeah," and tried to lie down again, keeping full eye contact with the boy to make sure he understood '_Don't lean back again._' Once he was settled against the smooth sheets, he looked back over to Neji with his eyes. The boy was sitting up, glancing around Gaara's room. He wouldn't be able to see much. The room was pretty dark since Gaara uninstalled the ceiling light. It was in the way of his collage, so instead, the only light source was of the various random lamps on his desks and bureaus.

"So, what do you do here?"

Gaara spoke to the seashells over him. "Read. Movies. Create."

The redhead gently rolled onto his side to look up to Neji. He was surprised when the brunet was looking down at him. There was a glint of excitement in his eyes as he asked, "Where's your books?"

xoxo

Neji should have figured from the way this house looked that there would be a designated reading room. He stood in the doorway of a small, cozy library with two full walls of books on his left and right. The wall in front of him had a fireplace and two opposing black chairs and small side tables with reading lights running through their center. The floor was a dark wood with a large red carpet dead center where the chair legs stood, adding color to an other wise monotone room. If Neji had a room like this, he would never leave it. He'd just curl up with a pile of books and grin himself to sleep every night.

He took a few steps in and spun around, soaking in the greatness. Gaara was one lucky brat. A click of the door shutting caught his attention. He whirled back to the doorway where Gaara stood. Even in a room of books where he said he read, there was little enthusiasm about it. He slowly inched towards the left side of the room, blue eyes flitting in Neji's direction, calling him over. Neji took his place beside Gaara, watching his hands move over a row of colorful books.

"Kankuro's graphic novels," he stated, raising his hand up to the next shelf. A row of girly looking books, fancy writing and cheesy titles. "Temari's romance novels."

Neji expected the row below Kankuro's to be Gaara's, a bunch of dark covered books that looked very old. Instead, the hand was pulled from the shelf and half-heartedly waved in reference to the rest of the room. "My books," he finished.

"...These?" Neji repeated, waving his hand like Gaara's over the room. The redhead nodded. "All of these?" The flesh of his eyebrows came together in annoyance, nodding his head once more.

_Wow. Two whole walls of books, all for him,_ Neji thought, eyes gliding over the rows. He had to admit, he was jealous. This was his dream library and the owner of it was a morose redhead who began to move his hands over the shelves again.

Gaara's hand reached down to the row of books Neji thought was his. "Original classics. Fragile," he stated. He crouched down, running his fingers along the spines until he stopped on a familiar green book. He wedged his pointer fingers against the headcap(1) and tail(2), carefully pulling it from its spot. It made a soft noise as the cover rubbed against the surrounding books until it laid flat in Gaara's hands. He stood and held the book towards Neji. "Familiar?" He asked, holding it closer. Neji leaned in, eyes wide in realization of the title. _Lolita._

He was stunned. Absolutely stunned. In those tiny hands was a first edition novel of the very same book they had finished a week ago in English class. The pages were yellowed, the cover had a few specks of dirt, but otherwise, it was pristine. _How did this thing last more than over fifty years?_ Or the more important question...

"Where did you get this?"

The redhead shrugged with a nonchalant answer. "Internet."

xoxo

The questionable relationship between Ishmael and Queequeg spurred various theories of what they were to each other. Though the author wrote their relationship as an 'ideal partnership,' others take Herman Melville's words too literal. From the get go of the book 'Moby Dick' when Ishmael must share a bed with the 'cannibal' Queequeg, he wakes up with the man's arm over his chest and compares it to a husband and wife sharing a bed. Then when he sees Queequeg shave his beard with his harpoon, he finds a new respect for the man, causing some _imaginative_ readers to believe that this was the beginning of a new crush, a love, which is preposterous. The closeness they share through out the novel does not depict a homosexual romance, but a deep, connective friendship, the 'ideal partnership.' They 'wed' themselves two times in the story, but not in love, in trust that they will be there for each other until the end. This proves true when Queequeg's coffin saves Ishmael's life towards the end(3).

Gaara's eyes trailed from Moby Dick to the seat across from him. The pale eyed boy remained entranced by the first edition of 'A Tale of Two Cities.' Whether he was completely consumed by the book or by the excitement of the book's age, he did not know, but the redhead continued to look at him in quiet thought.

Had Gaara crossed the unspoken line with Neji much like contemporary literary critics assumed of Ishmael and Queequeg's friendship? He had not affectionately threw his bony, pale legs over Neji's, but twice he had held his hand. It was not in trust or affection, it was something else, something his head was refusing to clear up for him.

He immediately shut the book to shut up his thoughts and returned it to the shelf. A book of an entirely different genre was necessary.

xoxo

Neji felt bad. No, actually, he didn't feel bad in the least. He got to spend most of the night reading as much as he wanted, any book he wanted, and there was never a single complaint from his companion across from him, whom continued to read with him. At least this proved that Gaara was a reader through and through, occasionally breaking his stone cold face to smirk at parts of his books. Neji didn't really focus on Gaara though. He was in love with the books in his hands, his attention set solely on them except when his eyes needed a break from the paper.

There was no windows in the library, but he assumed that it had to be night time. It was around six when they had dinner and he had already gone through six books himself. It had to be ten or eleven. All he could do is finish up the last book in his hands and see if Gaara wanted to stop reading for the night. If they remained as cordial as they were now, there would be plenty of other opportunities to indulge in his book collection, otherwise his eyes were beginning to wear out.

He rubbed an eye with the back of his hand and shut his book. The sound caught the redhead's attention whose eyes traveled up towards his. It was difficult to tell with the eyeliner, but there was an air of weariness on his part. He probably had enough for the night too.

"I think I'm done," he admitted, taking a stand to put his book away. Gaara surprisingly nodded in agreement, he too standing.

As they slid their books back into their spots on the wall, Gaara quietly asked, "Want a snack?" The brunet smiled with a nod.

xoxo

"Why do you have so many desserts?"

"...They're tasty."

"'Tasty' isn't a good reason for four different cakes."

"Why do you eat desserts then?"

"... Just give me a slice of cheesecake."

x - o

The large clock downstairs in the hallway began to rang, echoing throughout the house. Midnight.

_Did we really spend that long reading?_ Gaara asked himself, eyes shutting on their own. They felt so heavy, like he was ready to fall asleep, but he couldn't. For one thing, he wanted to change out of his clothes. He didn't mind the sweater, but his jeans would leave a nasty imprint on his hips if they weren't off. And secondly, he sent Neji down the hall to the bathroom to shower and change. Gaara could have easily kept his door locked, but Gaara knew what the outcome of that would be. Several minutes of annoying knocking on his door before retreating to Kankuro's room. The redhead did not trust Kankuro as far as he could throw him. He would blather about things that were personal to Gaara if Neji got him on the right topic. Then again, that also proved Gaara's distrust with Neji too.

_Or just my lack of trust with anyone,_ he ruefully thought. He forced his eyelids open in an attempt to not fall asleep.

He hated his dreams. Most often, they were forgettable clips of time and when he could remember, they were uninspiring. Despite the beauty he tried to surround himself with, his mind picked out the plain and boring pieces of his life. Trips to the grocery store, reliving study hall, the absolute mundane activities possible. He almost preferred the forgettable clips over the memory dreams just because he did not want to repeat the past, no matter how minute their importance was.

The ceiling began to disappear again, so he forced his eyes open again. _Damn it_, he cursed to himself. Gaara sat up and crawled off his bed, ready to strip himself of the tight jean nuisance. His hips were killing him anyway.

xoxo

Neji ran the towel down his hair and squeezed the droplets into the cotton fibers, making sure to keep the mess off the floor. The brunet was surprised when the bathroom on the floor was actually pretty normal other than a marble sink. It had a small shower with a tacky print curtain and a toilet crammed in the corner of the room like the architect forgot there was supposed to be bathrooms in a house. An ugly green bath mat sat outside of the shower that Neji was wiping his feet on. He needed that shower though, he felt so much better and ready to sleep.

The brunet pulled on his pajamas quick and bent over, quickly wrapping his hair in the towel. If anyone saw him like this, they would laugh their asses off, but maybe that's what he wanted to see from Gaara. Some genuine expression of enjoyment of something other than decorating. He flipped back up, hair mounted on his head with the ice cream swirl-looking towel wrap. _Just don't let Kankuro see me before Gaara does._

He piled his clothing under his arms and opened the door. He did a quick peak to the left, to the right, and to the left again and made his way quickly to the bedroom. He knocked on the door and said, "It's Neji, I'm coming in."

With no reply, he creaked open the door and shuffled in, turning to shut the door behind him. As he turned back, he caught a sight that almost made him drop his clothing. Gaara's tiny body was covered in a gray oversized t-shirt, hem barely skimming the tops of his thighs with a pair of black knee-high socks. He was standing by his nightstand, back to Neji. If he bent over just the little bit-

_No, no, no, no_, he quickly scolded himself, white eyes shooting up to the ceiling. This was the _second_ time he managed to walk in on Gaara changing. "You could have told me you were still changing," he managed to say with a hitch in his voice.

"Oh," the boy's raspy voice started. "I am changed."

Neji cautiously worked back down to eye level, catching the redhead tugging up the shirt to show a pair of short boxers. _Not helping much at all._

He dropped the shirt with a shrug. "Pants are in the wash," he clarified.

Neji nodded and watched him turn back to the nightstand. He was setting the alarm for school. The brunet took the time to put his clothes back into his backpack and carefully adjusted the lump of towel on his head. It seemed Gaara either did not notice or did not care. He walked back to the bed and sat on the edge, asking, "So, am I sleeping on the floor or...?"

"Bed," was the curt answer.

Neji frowned, feet shuffling together. "Are you sure?"

"There's roo-" There was a pause in Gaara's speech, so Neji turned around. Blue eyes were focused on the blue towel wrapped around his head. _Finally noticed._

Neji felt a smirk spread on his face and wiggled his eyebrows as he asked, "So, uh, is there a problem, Gaara?"

The redhead stared at the blue towel, softly stammering, "I, uh... there's room, uhm... erm..." He started to move from the table and past Neji, eyes looking back at the towel. "Be back," was the last thing he said before he left the room.

Neji frowned and leaned back on the bed, careful not to mess up the towel. _Well, not the reaction I was looking for, but whatever I guess._

xoxo

Gaara slid down against the wall below the window, hand covering the smile fighting its way to his face.

_That freaking guy,_ he thought, feeling his cheeks shift upwards. _He did that on purpose. He had to._ His eyelids moved closer in, a weird breath escaping his nose. _Why else would he willingly look like a complete-_ A loud laugh left his mouth before he could finish the thought. Gaara's eyes widened in shock and grabbed the first thing near him to muffle his noises. He slammed his head into a pile of clean towels, quietly laughing into the fibers. _Complete and utter dork._

x - o

Once the _amusement_ was cleared out of the way, Gaara returned to his room, sulking about the sudden shift in emotion. He hadn't even laughed when the blond boy was trapped in the rope maze/torture device, yet the brunet in a simple head wrap turned him into hysterics. _Things my mind refuses to clarify I suppose._

He opened the door and expected white eyes to greet him, but it seemed the brunet was curled up in his bed. Gaara's side of the bed. Had it been Deidara, Gaara would have immediately purged the boy from the bedroom, however, Neji was sound asleep. The blue towel was spread across the pillow with his hair sprawled across it. It almost looked black when it was wet.

The redhead moved to the bed, crawling up on the edge and stopping. He stared at the space, to Neji, and back to the space. He felt uncharacteristically nervous. _Why?_ He asked himself, practically forcing himself closer to the unoccupied spot. _It's just Neji_. The brunet's leg moved, brushing itself against Gaara's forearm. He jumped back and felt heat rush up his body like an erupting volcano. The redhead shook his head in frustration, not understanding what the hell was happening. It was just Neji, so why was he having difficulties just lying down?

"...hmmm..." A sleepy voice said. Gaara glanced back to Neji, catching his eyes slightly opening. His arms stupidly stretched out with a loud groan before retreating back into the blankets. "Gaara?" He groggily identified the redhead. He rubbed his eyes and shut them, curling up with the pillow. "Sorry, I'm just tired. Is a sleepover, ya' know? Gotta sleeeeep," he yawned the last word and flipped over. There was a moan of content as he snuggled into the blankets.

_I may not be able to sleep tonight._

x - o

One-fifteen in the morning, Neji was perfectly happy with his slumber, but Gaara was wide awake. He was able to convince himself to take residency beside Neji, but sleep all but escaped his reach. He quickly wiped his eyes with a makeup removal pad and flipped the master switch to all the lights in the room. The room was pitch black other than the one crack of curtain he typically left open by his bureau. A stream of white crossed the room. _Full moon_.

Since then, he had stared at his ceiling that he could make out from the little illumination. It might have been the only time he truly wanted to sleep. To get his mind off other things. Things that somehow managed to hog up a lot of a queen sized blanket. Gaara was still clutching at his portion. It was still large enough to cover his body, but the blanket would occasionally shift more towards the other side of the bed.

The redhead growled as he felt the velvet glide under his wrist. Neji was unconsciously at it again. Gaara grabbed two fistfuls of the blanket and flipped over to his right, trying to use his dead weight to grab it back. Useless action other than the sound of a soft tear.

_Oh no,_ Gaara thought as his eyes shot open. He flipped back over in Neji's direction, blindly reaching towards the middle where the most tension was. While he didn't feel any tear on the top material, the underneath had a fuzzy rip. _I swear to Buddha, if you break my blanket, I will break you._

As if Neji heard and chose to ignore the threat, the blanket moved again. The soft rip continued, Gaara quickly moving in to lessen the tension. He was not going to buy a new blanket. He had this one for years. He'd be _damned_ if he try to scour various bedding stores to find a mediocre replacement. So the routine continued for the next hour and a half. Neji pulled at the blanket, Gaara shuffled towards the pull, now loosing his sleep to the worry of his blanket's well-being. He might have been at it too long when he felt a wave of heat near his legs. The redhead rolled over to see what it was, just to find himself face to face with the sleeping, blanket-stealing devil.

"Shi-," he hoarsely whispered, though he bit his tongue. The last thing he needed to do was wake the boy with this little space between them. He took a sharp inhale to prepare to roll back over, only to have a leg rub against his. He froze in place. Sweatpants smoothed over his bare knees. Neji was unknowingly becoming Queequeg as the leg hoisted over his own. His bottom leg was now trapped by the ever-growing heat of a body encroaching upon his own and-

xoxo

Two-forty six in the morning, Neji was wide awake, but Gaara was perfectly happy with his slumber. The brunet awoke to several body aches and a nasty headache. He quickly concluded from the bundle of blankets around his body and that he was on the floor, he had rolled off the bed in his sleep. He found it unusual seeing as he didn't have any dream of running, jumping, or anything of that sort.

_Whatever,_ he painfully waved the topic away, standing and climbing back on the bed. He dropped his throbbing body on the marshmallow mattress and stretched the blanket out again, tossing a large section of it on the redhead. He didn't want to be the cause of some late night shivering for him. Sleep found its way back to Neji very soon after.

_Good night, Gaara._

* * *

><p>(1) <em>Headcap<em> and (2) _Tail_: With a hard-cover book, the spine of the book has two little excess amounts of fabric that stick out from the top and bottom of where the pages are glued/sewn in, aka that little ridge of material you stick your finger into when you pull a book out from a library shelf. The top one is the **headcap**, the bottom one is the **tail**. Nifty info, eh?

(3) This is a topic that is usually a little involved in a discussion of Moby Dick (depending on if you're able to remember the little details after over A HUNDRED CHAPTERS), but the relationship and intimacy between our caucasian main character, Ishmael, and the Polynesian 'cannibal' harpoonist, Queequeg. See, back in the day, it was perfectly fine for men to be more physical with one another. Homosexuality wasn't an out and about thing for the most part, so males felt no fear of expressing their affection to their closest friends. They could hug, hold hands, even sit on each others laps.

For more detail of old time-y male friendships, refer to the link on my profile page since this thing isn't letting me put up links.

Anyway, what Gaara thinks about is a reflection of how easy it is for modern society to confuse a platonic show of affection for a homosexual inclination for one another, but there's many, _many_ differing opinions since the author had never been out and clear about defining what exactly Ismael's and Queequeg's relationship was. All we can take from the novel is that they were close and beyond that, it's up to the readers' interpretation.

For more detail of how 'involved' the two could have been, refer to this very well written college student's research paper: That's on my page because the reason above.

**A/N**: So, there's not like, a killer amount of improvement between Neji and Gaara in terms of a _relationship_, but their friendship is slowly mending back, but at least we're pretty sure there's a little _something_ tucked away between the two (WINK). As fantastical as their little adventures may be, I want their friendship to seem more realistic in the sense that they're obviously not going to be 'SuperBestFriends5EVAR!' or super flirty-sexy time after making up like in a lot of other stories I've read on here. I apologize to those looking for some quick get together fanfiction, but this one will not be it.

**I REPEAT, IF YOU DON'T LIKE SLOW BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, PLEASE SEEK OTHER STORIES. I DON'T WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME.**

I will let you guys know that this story's **fictional** timeline will be written around this one school year. We _started_ in early September (Neji attended school late if you remember), we're _currently_ in the second week of October, and we will _end_ somewhere in June. Just a little FYI.

And if you noticed, these after-chapter notes are loaded with information. I did a lot of research on Moby Dick (seeing as it had been awhile since I've touched the book) and I must say, though it is a good read, you got to be prepared for the HOARDS of whaling information and terminology that will come across for it. If you have the patience to sift through it, you should make it through the book pretty okay.

To finally wrap up this giant freaking after-chapter section:

Next update will be _somewhere_ between **June** and **August**. Thanks for reading. Reviews are nice.


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